Of Druids And Founders
by millenium-dragon1
Summary: I updated this story to fit after OOTP. Harry's sixth year. Contains animagi, druids, founders, training and much more. Full summary inside. HGRW
1. Attack

DISCLAIMER : I would actually like to know if some people bother to read this. It's completely useless. Do you think that if I was J.K. Rowling I would actually be writing in a site instead of working on the actual books ? *Sigh* I don't own Harry Potter but I do own the druids.  
  
SUMMARY : After a Death Eater attack, Harry has to flee to Hogwarts for the rest of the summer. There, he enjoys the company of his two best friends and a new one. Knowing that whether they like it or not they will be in the center of the war, they secretly start training and undergo physical changes. During school year, they will stumble upon the oldest mystery of Hogwarts. A mystery Voldemort seems eager to solve. I absolutely have no idea where this story is going. Also, it might end up being a super-powered Harry, but I'm not sure. Contains HG/RW and might contain HP/GW.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE : Okay, now that you know about the plot, I need to tell you something. ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. Actually, it's my third so please, be a little understanding. This story is probably going to be full of errors. I don't mind if you correct me in one of your reviews, actually I ask you to do it, but don't flame me. Personally, I don't give a damn about flames but it gets annoying sometimes. One last thing, please REVIEW. Even if it's just to say : you're story is great (or that it sucks), but what I'm actually looking for is reviewers that are going to tell me that they'll keep reading it. It's not very fun to write something that nobody is going to read. Now, on with the story  
  
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CHAPTER 1  
  
The stars shone brightly over the silent street of Privet Drive. The summer air was filled with a light breeze. Everyone was asleep, dreaming. Well, almost everyone. Standing alert in the shadows was Remus Lupin. He was wearing a black cloak hiding his features and kept his wand in his hand. For the hundredth time that night, he looked down the street on his left, then on the right before finally gazing upon the quiet #4. All the lights were off, indicating that everyone was asleep in the household. That would be what a normal person would have thought, but Lupin was not your average wizard. Although the magical community considered lycanthropy as being a disease of the worst time, Remus, who was a werewolf himself, knew there was some good sides. For example, his senses were far more accurate which rendered the 'lumos' spell quite useless, but at the moment, Remus' senses were picking up something that broke the man's heart.  
  
Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, son of the leader of the Marauders, killer of basilisk and four time survivor of Voldemort's assault was crying. His quiet sobs could be heard coming from the opened window on the second floor. Remus heard him each night when he came to replace Mad-Eye Moody at keeping guard for eventual attacks from death eaters. The boy would enter his room at dusk, read some books and complete his summer essays for some time before going to bed where he would cry himself to sleep. Sometimes, Remus would wish with all his heart that he didn't have the ability to hear the boy's anguish while some other times, he would wish he could go see him and comfort him.  
  
Dumbledore has strictly forbidden any order members to enter the house for fear that the Dursleys would kind out and throw Harry out leaving him without the protection of his mother's blood. Although he knew Harry couldn't be attacked by Voldemort while in the house, Dumbledore couldn't be sure that the protection included the death eaters. That's why a guard was always keeping watch. Dumbledore also counted on the fact that the prophecy about Harry stated the boy couldn't be killed by anyone besides Voldemort. Remus however wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving the fate of the boy in the hands of a prophecy. There was many ways to kill the boy. Voldemort could simply possess one of his snake and attack Harry. The werewolf had often insisted during meetings that Harry should be moved somewhere more secure, Hogwarts for example. He had received support from Mrs. Weasley, Professor McGonagall and Tonks. The young auror had taken an immediate liking to the boy who she considers as her little brother. Unfortunately, the headmaster had still refused and continued to do so every time they asked which occurred at every meeting.  
  
Remus was jolted out of his reverie by a loud CRACK. Identifying the sound as being the one of a person apparating, Remus held his wand in front of him and faced the new arrival. He breathed a sight of relief as he noticed it was simply Tonks coming to replace him.  
  
"Tonks, how many times do I have to tell not to scare me like that ? One day, you'll receive a curse right in the forehead." He complained at the younger woman. "Sorry Remus" apologized Tonks before noticing the wetness on Remus' face.  
  
"I guess Harry's been crying again seeing you're too."  
  
The man turned around swiftly and cleaned his face from any trace of tears. When he was sure he was clean, he turned back around to see Tonks looking at him.  
  
"Remus, you don't have to be ashamed of yourself. It only goes to show how much you care about Harry."  
  
"It's not only Harry. I just realized I was the only Marauder left alive. I don't consider Peter a member ever since his betrayal."  
  
Knowing no words could comfort Lupin, the young woman simply hugged the other adult and held him tightly until he was fine. This took some time. Finally, Remus released Tonks and smiled at her with newly-fallen tears on his face.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"No problem. I'm here for you. All of us are. You know that if you can't stand to hear Harry's crying anymore, you can go see Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll understand and change your shift."  
  
"No, I'm alright. Besides, Dumbledore has more important matters to attend to than change of shifts."  
  
Anything Tonks was going to answer was interrupted by the arrival of an incredibly huge amount of owls. Because of security measures, Dumbledore cast a spell on the house, preventing any owls from entering the house before their package had been checked by the current guard on duty.  
  
"Well, I think Harry's birthday gifts have arrived. There sure is a lot of them this year. Remus, could you help me check them ?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The owls came from Ron, Hermione, Fred and George, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Mad-Eye, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Remus and Tonks.  
  
"Hey, that owl's from Hogwarts. I think it's his book list and his O.W.L.S result. Do you think he would mind if we took a peek ?" asked Tonks.  
  
"I think he's going to want to tell us in a letter."  
  
"Well, I think all of the letters are secure. Let's send them. It'll brighten Harry up."  
  
"I hope so." Without another word, the owls flew in the air straight for Harry's window. They flew silently through the opened window. As Tonks and Remus watched from the other side of the street, Harry got up hurriedly from his bed and wiped his face, getting rid of his tears. He turned his light on and watched with wide eyes as ten owls found somewhere to perch themselves while Hedwig flew to each of them.  
  
"What the hell are all those owls coming from ?" said Harry to himself, making sure his voice couldn't wake up the other inhabitants of the house.  
  
Since his return to Privet Drive, the Dursleys had completely stopped talking to Harry, afraid of the threats Mad-Eye had given to them. Harry was quite glad of the change. He didn't have to do anything anymore. No more chores, no more cooking and he was able to eat more although he was still underfed and locked up every day in his room. That didn't bother Harry since he was quite occupied with the books he had taken from the school's library before summer and the homework he had to finish.  
  
Suddenly, he remembered that today was his birthday and the owls were probably sent by his friends along with presents. He had been so caught up in his grief about the loss of Sirius that he had totally forgotten about his birthday. Harry's face suddenly broke into a grin as he started to open his letter and unwrap his gifts.  
  
Ron had sent him a new wizard chess board that could be played alone. He received a homework planer from Hermione. When he wrote all the homework he had to do, the planer automatically told him what he should do first and how long he should study a subject. Fred and George sent him a sample of every tricks and pranks they had been able to invent with Harry's money. Dumbledore sent him a golden feather coming from Fawkes that Harry could use as a quill. The special thing about it was that no ink was needed to write with it. McGonagall gave Harry a wizard robe that could carry unlimited amount of objects in its pockets. Harry received a book from Mad- Eye that contained hundreds of spells. When the book was opened at the desired page, an image of a wizard would appear showing the hand gestures required to perform the spell. The spells in the book were highly advanced and used during duels. Ron's parents had offered to him a magnificent figurine of a flaming Phoenix. Harry thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Remus had got for Harry an album filled with incredible amount of pictures he had taken when the marauders had done a prank. Finally, Tonks had sent a wand holster like the one the aurors received when they completed their training.  
  
Harry was overwhelmed with gratitude. He didn't know how he could repay all of them. He decided to try his new quill by writing thank you letters to everyone when he noticed the tenth owl. Taking the piece of parchment from the bird, it immediately flew out without waiting for an answer. Curious, Harry looked at the parchment and saw the Hogwarts seal on it. Harry realized suddenly what was the parchment. It was his O.W.L.S results and probably his supply list. He opened the parchment excitedly, but stopped suddenly realizing the importance of those grades. He had to get excellent marks if he wanted to become an auror one day. Taking a breath of air, he looked at the letter. Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
Enclosed in this letter are your official O.W.L.S. grades. We want to congratulate you in reaching this stage of your studies seeing as your O.W.L.S grades mattered greatly in your future career. Along with your grades are your book list for the coming year. We remind you that start of term is on the first of September and that the Hogwarts Express leaves King Cross station on the 31st of august at 11 o'clock.  
  
Truly yours, Professor McGonagall  
  
O.W.L.S  
  
Astronomy : Poor  
  
Care of the magical creatures : Exceed expectations  
  
Charms : Exceed expectations  
  
Defense against the dark arts : Outstanding  
  
Divination : Acceptable  
  
History of magic : Acceptable  
  
Herbology : Exceed Expectations  
  
Potions: Outstanding  
  
Transfiguration : Exceed expectations  
  
Harry blinked several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. When he was sure what he was seeing was real, it took him a minute or two to realize what it meant. Then suddenly, he jumped in the air, having a hard time keeping himself from screaming like a mad. He was thrilled. He had manage to get all the necessary grades to enter the N.E.W.T classes required to become an auror. He still couldn't believe he had managed to get an Outstanding in potions. It proved to Harry that as much as he tried, Snape couldn't prevent him from reaching his goals. No one could.  
  
To make things even better, now he could drop classes he didn't want to have anymore. He was definitely going to drop Astronomy, Divination and History of magic. To become an auror, he needed to take Transfiguration, DADA, Potions and Charms, but that wasn't a problem, he liked all of those classes except of course Potions, but he would manage. Normally, he could stop there, but Harry wanted to continue care of the magical creatures. He wanted to see Hagrid as often as possible and who knows, maybe what he will learn there would be useful in the future. There was several other facultative classes he could take, but he wanted to keep his schedule as light as possible. He would need to study hard if he wanted to pass his potions class and the more spare time he had, the better.  
  
Outside the house, Remus and Tonks were watching with a smile as Harry opened his letters and found his O.W.L.S scores.  
  
"Well, I think we can affirm he caught good grades." Said Remus.  
  
"Absolutely and by the looks of him, he caught high enough scores to continue and try to become an auror." Replied Tonks.  
  
"He's following his parents footsteps. I'm sure they're proud."  
  
Suddenly, a frown appeared on Tonks face. Seeing this, Remus asked her what was wrong.  
  
"The light in the Dursleys' room has just been turned on. I hope Harry didn't wake them up."  
  
"I wouldn't worry. Mad-Eye had a strong impression on them. They wouldn't dare to hurt him." Assured Remus, although he was frowning too.  
  
Suddenly, Harry's door was ripped open and the massive form of Vernon emerged. As the two members of the order of the Phoenix watched in transfixed horror, Vernon started hitting Harry with all his strength. The boy was thrown around the room. Reacting first, Remus started running toward the house, his wand drawn. Tonks followed closely after him. The moment they stepped on the freshly-cut lawn, the summer air changed drastically, becoming cold as winter weather.  
  
The two adults stopped dead and turned around. Dementors had just appeared in the street and were making their way toward them.  
  
"Oh no, Tonks, fast, call the other members. We need help." Ordered Lupin.  
  
Without arguing, Tonks disapparated with a loud 'CRACK'. Seconds before the Dementors had reached the lone werewolf, Tonks reappeared. She was closely followed other members and together they charged into battle. They made short work of the attacking creatures and gathered around.  
  
"That took care of them." Assured Filch.  
  
"I wonder why Voldemort sent so little number of them. He should have known we would be protecting Harry." Wondered Dumbledore out loud.  
  
"Oh no, Harry, I completely forgot about him." Panicked Lupin.  
  
He had been so caught up in the fight with the Dementors, forcing himself to think about happy memories, that he had completely failed to remember the boy being hit by his uncle. He ran in the house followed by the other members, but when they reached Harry's room, they found the place trashed, Vernon's unconscious body lying on the ground and no sign of the boy who lived. 


	2. Nathaniel

AUTHOR'S NOTE : I have been wondering about the fate of Draco Malfoy in this story, but can't come up with something. So, I will simply wait for reviews telling me what to do. Here's the choices : I turn this story into a HP/DM, Draco becomes friends with the group, Draco stays evil, but doesn't have an important part in the story, or Draco stays evil, but has an important part in the story. I'm writing the tenth chapter right now, so you'll have to wait until then to see my choice. For now, enjoy and review.  
  
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CHAPTER 2  
  
"Why are we sitting around drinking tea while we should be looking for Harry ?" yelled Remus Lupin, hitting the table with his fist.  
  
For a moment, everyone stayed frozen in place at Lupin's outburst. He was the calm and collected one of them all and to see him lose his temper in front of the members of the order of the phoenix shocked everyone. Everyone except Dumbledore who looked calmly at his former student through his half- moon glasses.  
  
Lupin's expression changed from anger to surprise to shame as he realize he had just lost control.  
  
"I'm...Excuse me. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that." He apologized slowly as he sat back on his chair.  
  
"Remus, all of us understand your reaction and frankly, I'm glad you're finally letting some of that anguish and tension out. It's not healthy to keep things all bottled up." Replied McGonagall with one of her rare smiles.  
  
"I'm just worried about him. Since Sirius died, I'm the only Marauder left and it's my responsibility to protect Harry. He's the only descendant of the Marauders." explained the werewolf.  
  
"It's understandable and you can be sure we're going to do everything in our power to find him. Alastor ?" said Dumbledore, looking at Moody.  
  
"Well, I've just questioned his uncle under Veritaserum, but the man doesn't remember anything. My guess is that he was under the Imperius Curse and that he was controlled by a Death Eater."  
  
"It seems I have made a grave mistake." Whispered Dumbledore.  
  
"What do you mean ?" asked Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"I have overestimated the power of Lily's protection. I thought it would protect Harry from harm no matter what as long as he stayed in the house. I was wrong and now, Harry must pay the price of my mistake."  
  
"Don't be a fool, Dumbledore. You did more for the boy than anyone else. How could you have known that muggle was under the Imperius ?" roared Moody.  
  
"It was my duty to know, but anyways, we don't have time for that. We need to figure out where Harry is." Ordered Dumbledore.  
  
"Well, I might have something. It's not much, but it could mean Harry's fine."  
  
"What's that ?" asked Remus, eager to find some clues of Harry's safety.  
  
"I checked his room after the battle and most of his stuff was gone. All our gifts, all his letters and parchment, all his books, his trunk, everything. Maybe he managed to knock his uncle out, grab his stuff and flee ?"  
  
"I doubt it. Knowing Harry, he would have joined us in our battle against the Dementors and no one saw a stag patronus during the battle." Explained Remus.  
  
"True. Harry couldn't have deal with his uncle alone and run away leaving us with the Dementors. It's not his style. He's a Gryffindor after all." Added Dumbledore.  
  
"Whatever happened in his room, it involved Potter, his uncle and a third party. My guess is someone apparated in his room, knocked out his uncle with a well placed stunning curse, gathered the boy's stuff in his trunk with a spell and disapparated with the trunk and Potter. Now, what we need to do is figure out who was that third party and more importantly if it truly want the boy no harm."  
  
"Well said, but if that person took Harry's stuff with him, doesn't it mean that it wanted to make Harry comfortable or something ? Why would a Death Eater take Harry's stuff with him if he could simply killed him on the spot or bring him to Voldemort without anything ?" asked Tonks.  
  
"I'm with Tonks. That person must be on our side." Agreed Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Maybe, but if so, why take Harry away from us ? Why not simply wait for the battle to end and bring him out ?" contested Mr. Weasley.  
  
"We all agree that we can't know for sure if Harry's safe or not until we see him. Now, I suggest we start gathering clues from any place. Molly, please let Ron and Hermione know that they have to tell us immediately if Harry contacts them."  
  
"Of course, Albus."  
  
*** Meanwhile...  
  
Harry was surrounded by darkness, complete darkness. He couldn't see anything. He was floating in the darkness and had no idea where the ground was, if there was any.  
  
"Am I dead ?" the boy asked out loud.  
  
His voice was reverberated thousand and thousand of times, but no answer came to him. Harry looked around, but the non-existent veil on his eyes prevented him from searching for a way out. In a desperate attempt to reach the ground or any solid matter, Harry tried to 'swim' his way in the dark. After an hour or so, the Boy-who-lived was too exhausted to continue and simply let himself be swept around by unseen winds. Then, suddenly, a ray of light pierced its way in the darkness. Harry was blinded by the sudden amount of light, but before he could focus again, another ray appeared, then another, and another. Soon, the rays were cutting through the darkness like a knife in the butter and then, Harry was too blinded to see any more. When the light in front of his eyes seemed to dissipate, Harry tried to focus, but found his sight blurry as if his glasses were not on his nose.  
  
Harry then noticed he was lying on the back on some sort of bed. Then, a shape moved in his line of vision although he couldn't see well. Soon, the shape was joined by two others. He could hear them talk.  
  
"I think he is waking up." Said a female voice  
  
"Yes, he is. The boy is strong, stronger than most. He will heal fast." Replied a grave masculine voice.  
  
"How are his injuries ?" asked a voice definitely male, but young.  
  
"There's a lot of them. He had received quite a beating before we managed to bypass the wards on the house and get to him, but don't worry. Thanks to my spells and potions, he will be up and playing outside with you before the sun's risen again." Answered the male voice.  
  
"Do you really mean I could take him outside ?" inquired the young voice.  
  
"As long as you don't over-exert him, I don't have any objections."  
  
"Cool. Maybe he'll be better than the other kids at dueling. I'm tired of winning every time."  
  
The female voice seemed to chuckle a bit before she spoke :  
  
"You know, not every child in the tribe were born during the alignment of an eclipse, the dragon constellation and the hunter star the day of summer solstice."  
  
"Besides, you might find in this boy the challenge you have been seeking." Added the male voice.  
  
Tired of listening to the voice, Harry tried to speak, but found his mouth dry and only managed to moan. The shapes immediately turned to him and the male voice talked:  
  
"You need rest, Harry. Sleep. Soon, you'll be back to full health."  
  
With that, Harry felt himself drift to sleep. During his slumber, he dreamed of wide opened fields of grass and flowers, wild animals and a weird chant.  
  
*** When Harry woke up again, he immediately heard the singing of birds. He stayed still for a moment, listening to the wind and the birds. The air was comfortable, hot enough to swim outside, but not enough to make you sweat. Harry noticed he wasn't wearing anything that he owned, making him wonder where he was and who had took care of him. He still remembered quite vividly his violent night time encounter with his uncle. He shuddered at the thought. He had never seen his uncle like this. He was beating him viciously, but kept a distant face, as if he wasn't even there. Forcing himself to push back the thoughts, he searched for his glasses with his hands. He found them on the ground, under his bed. When he placed them on his face, he could immediately focus on his surrounding.  
  
He was in some sort of tent. On the ground, were piled animal furs. There wasn't many furniture. Only a low table in the middle of the tent. Then, he caught sight of what was on the table. Plates and plates of different food, fruits and beverage. His stomach growled painfully and his mouth started producing far too much saliva for his liking. The boy lifted himself from his bed to sit back down on the floor, in front of the table. He started eating as if this was his final meal. The food tasted delicious. Harry moaned in pleasure as he bit hard on a piece of chicken.  
  
Suddenly, a side of the tent was lifted up and a boy around Harry's age entered.  
  
"Oh, I was just coming to check on you. How are you ?" asked the stranger.  
  
"Er... I'm fine. I don't want to be rude or anything, but who are you and where am I ?"  
  
The other boy seemed surprised for a minute before a huge grin appeared on his face, revealing perfectly white teeth.  
  
"Sorry. I should have presented myself. My name's Nathaniel and you are in our village."  
  
"What village ?"  
  
"Er... well, we call it the dragon's keep. I better explain from the beginning."  
  
"That would be great. Want something to eat ?" replied Harry as he pointed to the table.  
  
"Sure."  
  
Nathaniel sat down facing Harry with the table between them. Harry could finally have a good look of the boy. He had a tanned complexion, bright violet eyes and sandy-blond hair. He had a strong built and from what he saw when he had entered, he was quite tall, maybe reaching 6 feet.  
  
"Okay, Dragon's keep is a druid village. All the inhabitants are druids. We learned you were in trouble so we sent someone to rescue you."  
  
"What are druids ?" "You're kidding right ?"  
  
Harry shook his head no and replied:  
  
"I know you're some kind of wizards, but I don't know much."  
  
"Well, druids and wizards are similar, that's true, but we have a lot of differences. Mainly, while a wizard needs a wand to use magic, a druid doesn't. We channel our magic from our hands and with practice from our eyes. Secondly, we, druids, are very respectful of nature. A long time ago, druids and wizards were the same, but then, wizards started developing magical devices and relying on them. They spread around and forgot their origin. However, the druids kept relying on nature for help, not magical devices. That's why we don't need wands. We have nature to help us channel our magic."  
  
"I see. Another question. How did you know I was in trouble ?"  
  
"Not only the wizards community knows about you, Harry. The druids have been keeping an eye on you since you entered the magical world, but because we felt you were strong enough to take care of yourself, we haven't interfered with your life. That changed however and now the council have decided to help you."  
  
"The council ?" asked Harry, confused.  
  
"It's a gathering of all the most powerful and wisest druids in a tribe. They're the one making the decisions and giving the orders."  
  
"Okay, but you said they've decided to help me. How ?"  
  
"That, I don't know. You can ask them when you'll meet them."  
  
"I'm going to meet them. When ?"  
  
"Today. They wanted to wait until you've woken up before calling you. I was assigned to check on you often and bring you in front of them once you have fed and rested. So, let's go."  
  
With that, the two boys left the tent and ventured outside, Nathaniel leading the way. Harry couldn't help, but stare at everything. The village was composed of dozens of tents. North was a forest, West an opened field and East ran a river. Among the villagers walked a huge amount of wild animals. Some said to be very dangerous to humans, but they seemed totally calm and friendly.  
  
Nathaniel led Harry between the tents until they reached a clearing in the middle of the village. In the middle was a pile of wood that would be used to make a fire when night fell. All around the table were seated twelve persons, all of them quite old. When they noticed the two boys, all conversation stopped.  
  
"Elders, I have brought you Harry Potter as you requested." Started Nathaniel.  
  
"Thank you Nathaniel. Welcome Harry Potter to Dragon's keep." Said a man with graying hair. By the looks of him, Harry guessed he was the leader.  
  
"Surely, you must be waiting for answers concerning everything that happened recently ?"  
  
"Well, Nathaniel explained quite a bit. I want to thank you for saving me from my uncle."  
  
"You are very welcomed, but you have to thank these two people here. Mathias is our shaman. He healed you during your sleep and this is Pahla, my daughter. She was the one who rescued you in your house."  
  
Harry turned to the two people. Mathias was a tall man with long white hair and a long white beard. He had a smile on his face as he looked at Harry. Pahla was a young woman around her twenties. She had long black hair arranged in a long braid. She wore a comforting smile as she was presented to Harry.  
  
"Now, I will tell you what Nathaniel couldn't have told you. It was decided that you should stay here for a while, maybe a week, while you heal completely. Mathias has told us you wouldn't be back to full health until seven days have passed. Meanwhile, we would like to help you. We know about the prophecy concerning you. Voldemort is a threat to everyone, even us. Wizards don't like our race, but we know an alliance is necessary if we're going to stop the death eaters. So we found a solution that would help everyone. We can't help you during your dual with Voldemort, but we can help you prepare. We will perform a very ancient druidic ritual every night starting today. The ritual will increase your magic potential. You won't learn new spells, but you'll be able to cast stronger ones you have already learn and it'll make learning new ones easier. You won't have a problem learning some advance techniques. Also, you'll be less tired after a prolonged use of a spell which will help you maintain some spells longer."  
  
"That's very generous of you, but what about the alliance with wizards. I don't think wizards will accept you this easily."  
  
"It's quite simple actually. We're going to offer the wizards an opportunity to befriend us. You see, we will sign up Nathaniel to Hogwarts."  
  
"I don't think the Ministry will accept Nathaniel if they know he's a druid."  
  
"We know the headmaster is a powerful and wise wizard. Probably the most powerful of this era. He will see the hidden message Nathaniel's presence represent. He will convince the Ministry to accept him. During the school year, if he is welcomed it will mean it is safe for druids to offer an alliance."  
  
"I see. It's a good plan."  
  
For the next days, Harry spent his days with Nathaniel, learning more about the druids and their beliefs. He learned that Nathaniel was in the same situation as him. Both of them were legends among their people, Harry for having survived the Avada Kedavra and Nathaniel for being born during a rare alignment of stars. During their life, they have been stared and pointed at. The similarities between them helped them forge a strong and fast friendship. They understood the other better than anyone had ever been able to. They enjoyed each other's company because when they were alone, they were forced to act as the hero they were supposed to be. They were able to be themselves and no one else.  
  
During the nights, Harry would met the council where he had first seen them. They would greet him and sit in a circle around the fire. They would then start the chant in a language Harry didn't recognize. The fire would suddenly change from orange to gold and Harry would step right into it. Immediately, he would fall into a trance while floating in the golden fire. That would continue until dawn. Harry would then wake up in his tent feeling refreshed and energized.  
  
Finally, the final day arrived. It was time for Harry to leave the druids and get back to the wizarding world. He packed his things in his trunk and made his way to the edge of the village where all the inhabitants were assembled to see him off. The council was gathered and when he arrived, they turned to him and smiled.  
  
"Well, Harry, it is time. Know that it was an immense pleasure to have you among us and know also that you will be missed. You will visit us when you have the time, will you ?"  
  
"Of course. I had a great time with all of you and I learned some important things during my stay. I will always be grateful."  
  
"Goodbye, then."  
  
Harry then saw Nathaniel among the villagers. The two boys walked toward each other, but Harry was the first to speak:  
  
"So, I guess I'll be seeing you in September, right ?"  
  
"What are you talking about ? You think I'll go to Hogwarts with no idea how things work in your world ? I'm going with you. I need to learn more about the wizards and all. You were allowed to learn about the druids, I expect I'll have the same right as you."  
  
"Seriously ? This is great."  
  
The two boys hugged with huge smiles on their face. When Nathaniel had said good bye to everyone, the council leader talked again:  
  
"Harry, Nathaniel. This is a portkey that will take you directly to Hogwarts. I know it's not start of term yet, but I think it's safer if you head directly there. You must reassure all your friends. Remember that for them, you have disappeared an entire week." Said the leader while handing them a statuette of a flying dragon.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
With that, the two teens touched the dragon and Harry felt the familiar sensation between his navels as he was transported.  
  
*** When they arrived, Harry was able to regain his footing quickly, but Nathaniel fell right on his butt.  
  
"Ouch." He complained  
  
"You haven't use a portkey before, have you ?" asked Harry as he helped his friend get up.  
  
"No. In fact, I haven't left my village since I was born. They say I'm too important to leave without supervision."  
  
"I know how you feel." Admitted Harry.  
  
"I know you do. So, where are we ?"  
  
"We're close to Hogwarts. The wards placed on the ground prevent anyone from apparating or using a portkey into the grounds. Only Dumbledore can do that. Come on. We have to walk."  
  
Nathaniel followed Harry as he led the two of them on the grounds. During the trip, Harry pointed to the other boy some location he ought to know about. The castle, the forbidden forest, Hagrid's hut, the lake with the giant squid. Nathaniel seemed very interested in the forbidden forest, eager to know what creatures were inside. Soon though, they reached the stairs leading to the school. They entered and were greeted by the sound of voices coming from the Great Hall.  
  
"Strange, I wonder who's here. Normally, there's only the professors, but, by the sound of it, there's more people." Harry wondered out loud.  
  
"Want to check it out ?"  
  
"We don't have a choice. We have to let everyone know we're here."  
  
The two boys pushed the two huge doors open to let them enter the Great Hall. 


	3. Arrival

CHAPTER 3  
  
The four long tables were still in place, nothing had changed since the last day Harry had seen it, but what caught his attention was the people in it. All the professors were there, but along with them, were all the members of the order and some new faces Harry didn't recognize. They were all seated on the far side of the four tables, eating. When they heard the doors open, the people gathered turned around to see the new-comers. Suddenly, all conversations stopped. For a moment or two, everyone was frozen in place, but then a certain red-head and a bushy- haired girl ran to Harry. The boy hadn't seen Hermione and Ron among the other people. The three long-time friends hugged and Hermione even had a few tears rolling on her face.  
  
"Harry. Where were you ?"  
  
"We were so worried."  
  
"We thought you were dead."  
  
"How did you escape ?"  
  
"Where did you go ?"  
  
"Why didn't so say you were all right ?"  
  
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger. Please, let Harry talk." Said Dumbledore with a huge smile on his face.  
  
Suddenly, everyone moved to Harry hugging him, patting him on the shoulder, looking for injuries.  
  
"Please. Everyone, I am fine, but let me explain."  
  
Reluctantly, the crowd dispersed and Mrs. Weasley pushed Harry forward and sat him down at a table so he could eat.  
  
"Harry ? Who's that ?" asked Remus, with a suspicious look on his face.  
  
In all the commotion, Nathaniel had been completely forgotten.  
  
"Is he an enemy ? Give me a minute alone with him and he'll spill everything." Threatened Moody.  
  
"NO. Wait, he's my friend."  
  
Harry had quickly got up and placed himself between Nathaniel and everyone.  
  
"This is Nathaniel. He's a druid. Professor Dumbledore, I think you already knew about him."  
  
"Ah... Yes indeed, but I wasn't expecting Mr. Orion until September." Replied Dumbledore.  
  
"I thought it would be good to come early and get to know the grounds before term started."  
  
"A very judicious idea. I believe Harry would be glad to show you around."  
  
"I think everyone wants to hear about Harry, so I think I'll let him speak and explain everything first." Proposed Nathaniel.  
  
Harry explained everything that had happened to him since the attack. Once he had finished, everyone stayed silent for a moment, taking in what Harry had told them. Dumbledore was the first to speak:  
  
"Harry, before we continue further, I have to apologize to you." Started Dumbledore with a sad look in his eyes, the familiar twinkle in them gone.  
  
"What for ?" asked Harry confused.  
  
"I should have removed you from the Dursleys the moment you told me about Voldemort's return. I made a mistake and you had to pay for it."  
  
"Professor, I understand why I had to stay at the Dursleys. It's not your fault. As powerful as you are, you can't predict everything or protect everyone you wish to. I don't blame you for what happened. Besides, if I hadn't been at the Dursleys, I wouldn't have met Nathaniel, one of my best friends. So, I tell you, no, I ordered you not to blame yourself for that." Explained Harry with a smile which Dumbledore returned.  
  
"Now, Honey, you have to eat something after everything you went through." Added Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine. I ate before coming here. I'm not hungry. In fact, I would like to move a bit. The druids forced me to relax for an entire week. I thought I was going insane."  
  
"Hey, don't blame us. You needed to rest." Complained Nathaniel.  
  
"How about we go to the Gryffindor tower and settle in ?" suggested Harry.  
  
"Not so fast, Potter. Mr. Orion hasn't been sorted yet. Maybe, he's not a Gryffindor."  
  
"I'm sure he's a Gryffindor. There is no doubt about that ?"  
  
"What's a sorting ?" asked Nathaniel.  
  
"You will see immediately. Accio sorting hat." Said Dumbledore with a wave of his wand.  
  
Soon after, the familiar battered old hat flew through the window and into the headmaster's hand. "This is the sorting hat. We use it to place the students in four different houses depending on their behavior and abilities. Gryffindor students are brave and strong, Slytherin are sly and crafty, Ravenclaw are smart and intelligent and finally Hufflepuff are patient, loyal and just. Mr. Potter, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley are all Gryffindors."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Now, please put the hat and we'll see in which houses you'll do better."  
  
Nathaniel took the hat and put in on his head. Suddenly, the hat started to talk.  
  
"Already, I am required to choose new students. I haven't finished my poem yet. Ah... I see, you're not a normal new student. Druid, I see. Quite powerful... Hmm, this is hard. You're very courageous and brave, nothing stops you, but you're also a fast and dedicated learner. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I wonder. You would do well in both houses. Oh... but what do I see here, in the back of your mind ? A mischievous side, you like to have fun. Breaking rules is one of your favorite thing to do. Then there is no doubt. GRYFFINDOR!!!"  
  
"Alright. Told you he was a Gryffindor." Said Harry with a smile.  
  
"Well, then it is settled, you will be a Gryffindor. Now, Harry, I know you are eager to be with your friends, but there is one thing left to decide. Because of the attack, you couldn't have made your class decision. We still need to know which classes you want to take ? You're already late and the professors have started making plans. It is becoming urgent. The same thing applies to you, Mr. Orion."  
  
"Well, what classes do you propose ?" asked Nathaniel.  
  
"Here." Said McGonagall.  
  
With a flick of her wand, a little pamphlet appeared in front of Nathaniel. Inside were a list of classes and a description.  
  
"Well, Hermione, Ron, what did you take ?" asked Harry.  
  
"We needed to decide what we wanted to do in the future so we could choose the necessary classes." Replied Hermione.  
  
"Really ? What did you decided ?" inquired Harry.  
  
"I decide to work in Muggle relations. I know a lot about it, so I could help."  
  
"Yes indeed and when you'll finish Hogwarts, it will be my pleasure to take you as a trainee." Replied Mr. Weasley with huge smile.  
  
"How about you Ron ?" "Well, at first, I wanted to try auror, but during the summer, I realized how much work and good grades you need to become one and I'm not willing to dedicated that much time to school. So, I decide to try something a bit similar, but still different."  
  
"And that would be ?"  
  
"Curse-breaker for Gringotts. It seems fun. You travel all around the world, searching for ancient treasures, breaking centuries old curses and Bill said I could be his trainee when I finish Hogwarts."  
  
"But, what courses do you both need for that ?"  
  
"For Muggle relations, I need muggle studies, obviously and transfiguration if I have to take care of magical objects in a muggle's possession." Explained the girl.  
  
"That's all ? Hermione, you'll die if you only have two set of homework to do."  
  
"That's not funny. Charms aren't required, but Mr. Weasley said it's good to have that too. Since Voldemort returned, I chose DADA too and just to be safe, I took Care of the magical creatures in case a magical creature finds its way into muggle territory." Continued Hermione.  
  
"Five classes. That's better for your quota." Joked Harry.  
  
"Shut up, Harry. Ron, tell him about your classes." Ordered Hermione.  
  
"Well, I have to take Care of the magical creatures because some treasures are guarded by animals. Then there is Charms because those spells work best against curses and I need to know a lot about curses, hexes and jinxes so DADA too. I'll take transfiguration too because Bill say it's useful. Sometimes, you don't have everything you need with you so being able to transfigure something is very useful. And unfortunately, I need to learn about ancient races so that means I have to take History of Magic." Explained Ron.  
  
"Professor Binns for you." Joked Harry.  
  
"Well, how about you ?" asked Ron.  
  
"Well, you already know I'm going for Auror so, that means Transfiguration, Charms, DADA and unfortunately Potions, but I will add Care of the magical creatures in the lot. You never know when you'll be facing a basilisk, right ?" said Harry referring to his second year.  
  
"Than, it is settled for you, Harry. Mr. Orion ?" asked Dumbledore  
  
Nathaniel had been absorbed in his pamphlet since the beginning of the conversation, but when he heard his name, he looked up and closed the pamphlet. "I made my choice. I'll take Transfiguration, Charms, DADA, Care of the magical creatures, Potions, Herbology and Ancient runes."  
  
Everyone looked at him with wide-eyes. Even Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
  
"Are you mad ?" exclaimed Harry.  
  
"What did I do ?"  
  
"You took seven classes !"  
  
"Is that wrong ?" asked Nathaniel, concerned he had somehow offended the wizards all around him and had compromised his mission for the druids.  
  
"No, not exactly. It's just..." started Hermione, but Dumbledore interrupted.  
  
"The average classes a student in his sixth year take is three. Because Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are aiming for a more difficult career, they need four classes and even then, they added a extra class. For Miss. Granger, her love of studies will help her get through with more classes than necessary. I have to admit I haven't met a single student during my time as Headmaster that took seven classes in one year."  
  
"Oh, but I know I can do it. Care of the magical creatures, herbology and potions are things druids learn at a very young age. I'm sure I know more than most wizards my age. I have no problem whatsoever with charms and DADA, but I have to admit I'm not that good with transfiguration. You see, druids don't think highly of transfiguration. Some of the elders believe it is not right to modify what nature has create. So young druids aren't trained in transfiguration, although things are changing. I think it's necessary. Ancient runes is a subject that always fascinated me. It's a powerful kind of magic and I have been taking lessons with one of the master druid in my village. I think I can handle it."  
  
"If you are sure, but I ask you tell me right away if you have too much homework."  
  
"I will."  
  
"Well, I think everything has been settled and explained."  
  
"Not quite, Professor. I was wondering why is the order here ?" asked Harry.  
  
"That is simple. The headquarters of the order has been moved to Hogwarts. Kreacher has proved himself to be dangerous to our cause which is why we changed our meeting place. We have settled in the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side."  
  
"You mean Fluffy's old room ?"  
  
"Yes. We have changed the decorations since then to make it more comfortable. Harry, of course, you are aware that this must be kept secret."  
  
"You don't even need to tell me, but how are you going to explain order members walking around the school."  
  
"There won't be any. Dumbledore modified the wards on the school to allow order members to apparate in it. This way, we can meet without any students knowing about it." Explained Remus.  
  
"Speaking of apparating, Harry, you realize this year we're going to learn to apparate ?" said Ron excitedly.  
  
"Of course, I remember. I also know that this summer is the last one we'll be prevented from using magic outside the school. Next summer, the Dursleys will be in for a surprise." Replied Harry.  
  
"Now, now Harry. I know you are better than that." Putted Dumbledore although he had a strange mischievous glint to his eyes.  
  
Harry wondered if Dumbledore would help him get his revenge on the Dursleys if he asked him too.  
  
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Nathaniel got up from their places and made their way to the door. Just before they had left, Dumbledore stopped them  
  
"Oh and Harry, I think you ought to know your Occlumency lessons will start tomorrow."  
  
"but Professor..."  
  
"I will expect you to be in my office after breakfast."  
  
"You mean, you're the one who's going to teach me ?" asked Harry a huge smile on his face.  
  
"Yes I will and if you do well, maybe we will try Legilimency too. Knowing Voldemort's plans would be extremely useful to us."  
  
"Thank you, Professor."  
  
"My pleasure, Harry." 


	4. Surprise

CHAPTER 4  
  
Two hours later, Nathaniel and Harry had been settled in and Nathaniel had been given a tour of the school and the grounds. Nathaniel seemed really interested in the forbidden forest, wanting to enter and explore it. Hermione had objected though and they were now back in their common room.  
  
"Well, it's good to be back." Said Harry as he slumped into an armchair.  
  
"Well, it's good to have you back, Harry." Said Hermione.  
  
Ron and Hermione sat down on a two-seated armchair close to each other, but immediately, they moved to the sides, farthest from each other looking nervous. Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask. He studies his friends carefully, noting the changes.  
  
Ron had grown again. His face wasn't round anymore. His jaw was more pronounced. Harry's best friend was growing to become a very handsome man. He was looking more like Bill with every passing day. Ron had developed some muscles which meant he had been training for Quidditch. Harry was glad. Although, he wouldn't admit it in front of someone, Ron hadn't been the best keeper. Harry only hoped he had improved.  
  
Hermione had grown too. Her hair wasn't as bushy as before and she had definitely developed some curves. Harry shook his head to clear it. Hermione was his best friend, he wasn't allowed to think like that.  
  
Harry then realized he was the only one among the four of them that wasn't the least bit attractive. He was still the skinny, glass-wearing boy he had ever been. Hermione was growing more beautiful by the days, Ron was heading straight for top ten of the most handsome Gryffindor male and Nathaniel. Well, Nathaniel didn't even need an explanation. With his bright purple eyes, sandy-blond hair, tanned skin and showing muscles, he would quickly become secret crush of many girls. With a sigh, Harry closed his eyes and tried to forget about his pitiful physical state.  
  
Nathaniel who had laid down on a three-seated armchair looked at Harry then at his two best-friends with confusion.  
  
"What do we do now ? We're not standing here all day right ?"  
  
"We could head for the library and start preparing a study program ?" suggested Hermione.  
  
"No way. I don't want to start the school year early. Besides, I have Occlumency lessons to worry about."  
  
"Hey, I know what we could do." Said Nathaniel as he jumped from his place and ran to the dormitories.  
  
He came back after a minute with a book in his hand which he threw to Harry. The other boy caught it and read the title.  
  
"Wicked ! Where did you get that ?" asked Harry wide-eyed.  
  
"From Mathias. He gave it to me before we left. You know how he is. Always helping us break the rules."  
  
"What is it ?" asked Ron, curious.  
  
"How do become an animagus in half the normal time"  
  
"This is great. We're going to become animagus."  
  
"Just like my father was." Added Harry looking at book with a dreamy look on his face.  
  
"I suggest we keep it a secret from the order and the teachers."  
  
"I'm in." replied immediately Harry.  
  
"Me too." Added Hermione with a determined look.  
  
"You are ? Hermione, you realize we're breaking law by doing this ?" asked Harry incredulous.  
  
"Yes, of course, I know. When do we start ?"  
  
Harry couldn't believe it. He was sure Hermione would have objected to the project from the start.  
  
"How about now ?"  
  
"Let's go." Said Hermione.  
  
"Guys, I'm not sure about this. I mean if we get caught by the Ministry..."  
  
Now, Harry was even more confused. Ron was the one objecting to the project. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Had Hermione and him changed bodies ?  
  
"Don't worry, Ron. We'll be careful."  
  
"If you're sure." Said Ron.  
  
With that, the teens started. They decided to duplicate the book so that everyone of them could read. The book wasn't long. It would take them less than three days to read it completely if they read as much as possible. They decide that in three days, everyone had to have finished the book. Of course, by the next morning, Hermione had already finished the book (Harry was glad that that side of her hadn't change). So, while the boys finished reading, she headed to the library to find more documentation to help them. She had browsed through six or seven books and memorized their content by the end of the second day. By noon on the second day, Harry and Nathaniel had joined her in the library while Ron finished. They found some interesting books about animagi in the restricted section that Harry visited with his invisibility cloak.  
  
When Harry woke up the morning of the third day, he found Nathaniel sleeping quietly in his bed, but Ron's was empty. Checking the time, Harry frowned. The sun had just risen and there was no way Ron would already be up. He usually was the one who overslept. Harry dressed before exiting the room. Looking down into the common room, he witnessed a sight that took the breath out of him.  
  
Ron and Hermione were cuddled together on the loveseat. They were kissing, unaware of Harry's presence. When the two broke apart, Ron said:  
  
"I missed that." Said Ron with a smile.  
  
"Ron, it's only been three days since Harry returned and we were together all summer." Remarked Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, but three days is too long."  
  
With that, the two resumed their making-out session. Harry was stunned. His best friends had been going out with each other for a month now and they hadn't even told him. All the letters they had sent, all the lies about Hermione being with her parents. Harry couldn't believe they had lied to him.  
  
"Hey, why is everyone up already ?" complained Nathaniel as he exited the dormitories having woken up and dressed.  
  
Ron and Hermione broke apart and looked toward the door. They immediately saw Harry and by the looks of him, he had seen everything. He had an expression of anger, betrayal and sadness on his face.  
  
"Harry, we-"started Hermione, uncertainly, but was interrupted by Harry.  
  
He took the stairs down to the common room and went straight for the exit door without looking at his best friends. When the door closed behind him, Hermione and Ron looked at each other before running after him. Nathaniel who had also seen them kiss wondered what was going on and followed.  
  
The two lovers only managed to catch Harry as he entered the Great Hall. Neither of the three noticed that all the professors were there along with Moody, Remus, Tonks, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore and Bill and Charlie Weasley.  
  
"Harry, let us explain." Tried Ron.  
  
"NO, THERE IS NOTHING TO EXPLAIN."  
  
"Yes, there is. If you only let us talk. We were afraid you would feel left out if you knew."  
  
"Left out ! I don't care one bit. I don't care about you two going out. If you had only told me, I would have been happy for the two of you." Yelled Harry as his temper flared.  
  
"Than, what's the problem ?" asked weakly Hermione as tears started falling down her face.  
  
Nathaniel entered the Great Hall out of breath, but froze before he ran straight into Ron.  
  
"THE PROBLEM IS YOU LIED TO ME !!! YOU KEPT THINGS FROM ME !!! THE LAST TIME SOMEONE KEPT THINGS FROM ME, SIRIUS ENDED UP DEAD. HE DIED BECAUSE I WENT LOOKING FOR ANSWERS THAT WERE KEPT FROM ME. HE DIED BECAUSE OF ME!!!" yelled Harry.  
  
Everything in the room started shaking as if an earthquake had started.  
  
Harry ran to the door, pushing Ron and Hermione aside as he did so. Nathaniel managed to duck before Harry ran into him. As the druid assessed his surrounding, he saw Hermione sobbing on the ground while Ron tried to comfort her. The shaking had stopped, but some of the food had fallen to the grounds. Goblets had spilled their content on the table, a decorative armor had fallen to the ground, dismantled, chairs were on the ground.  
  
"What the hell happened ?" asked Charlie.  
  
"Harry let his temper get the better of him and he lost control over his magic." Explained Dumbledore as he used a spell to repair the armor.  
  
"Even then, it shouldn't have created an earthquake." Added Bill.  
  
"That's because of the ritual. When Harry was with us, we performed a ritual to increase Harry's magical potential." Explained Nathaniel.  
  
"Someone should go see him." Suggested Remus.  
  
"I'll go." Said immediately Ron.  
  
"No, in his current state, Harry could very well kill you and he doesn't need another death on his conscience. I'll go." Said Nathaniel as he left the room.  
  
He found Harry under a tree near the lake. Harry didn't even turn to acknowledge Nathaniel' presence. "You know, this is the exact location where my father played a prank on Snape during their school years."  
  
"Harry, we need to talk."  
  
"I don't want to talk."  
  
"But you have too. I won't try to say I know how you feel like usual because I really don't know. I never had real friends in Dragon's keep. All the children were afraid of me because of what they heard about my birth. All I can tell you is that you are lucky to have friends like Ron and Hermione."  
  
"Friends that lie to you." Snapped Harry.  
  
"They lied to you because they didn't want to cause you pain. They weren't sure how you would take their relationship. They didn't want you to feel alone and left out. I think you're pretty lucky to have friends that are willing to restrain themselves from showing their affection to one another because they don't want to hurt you."  
  
Harry was silent. He hadn't seen it from that point of view. He knew that if he was going out with Cho, he would want everyone to know. Harry realized that Nathaniel was right and he sighed when it became clear to him that he was the one at fault.  
  
"You're right. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I hope I didn't do too much damage."  
  
"No, you didn't. Dumbledore must have fixed everything by now, but there is something he can't fix. Something only you can."  
  
"What's that ?"  
  
"Your relationship with Ron and Hermione. You need to speak to them and all three of you need to apologize to each other. Come on. I'll go get them and you, head straight to the common room. They will meet you there."  
  
Harry obeyed and together, they made their way back to the school. Harry continued straight ahead toward the common room while Nathaniel went in the Great Hall. As he suspected, everything was back the way it was before although Hermione was still sobbing in Ron's arm, but when Nathaniel entered, she stopped and everyone turned to him.  
  
"He's fine. I told him to go to the common room. Now, you two need to go there and talk to him now. Go settle everything with him and I mean now." Ordered Nathaniel.  
  
Without a word, they obeyed leaving Nathaniel with the adults. The boy sighed heavily before turning to the adults:  
  
"Wizards." He said with a smile. With that, he made his way to the table and sat down.  
***  
  
When Nathaniel later entered the common room holding a plate filled with food, he found the three other teens laughing together. When they saw him enter, they forced themselves to calm down.  
  
"Well, I see everything is settle."  
  
"Yeah. We promised not to hide anything from him anymore." Said Hermione  
  
"And I promised to try and control my emotions better." Added Harry.  
  
"Good idea. Now, let's eat."  
  
Nathaniel set the plate on a table and all four of them started to eat.  
  
"You know, we should really start training for our animagus transformation." Noted Nathaniel  
  
"What do you mean, training ?" asked Ron, dreading the answer.  
  
"I found in a book that to make the transformation easy, we should be in top shape both physically, mentally and magically which means jogging, meditation and dueling."  
  
"This is going to be painful." Complained Ron.  
  
"Maybe. Look, Harry, concentrate on physical training. Eat more too. Hermione, you could use magical training and Ron, meditation is definitely for you."  
  
"That's all ? You mean we don't have to train more than that ?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well, Harry, you don't have to train magically. You're boosted enough as it is, but meditation could help you control your emotions. Hermione, you don't need meditation. You already think too much, but physical training could help too. Ron, you're in top shape so no physical training for you, but magical training could help you."  
  
"What about you ?" asked Ron.  
  
"Hey, you've seen my wonderful muscles. I have as much magic potential as Harry and I meditate already."  
  
"Not fair." 


	5. Training

CHAPTER 5  
  
During the next week, the four teenagers trained as hard as they could. As Harry lay in his bed waiting for Nathaniel to wake up, he thought back to the recent events. Since the day Harry had learned about his best friends relationship, they had dedicated all their time to training. In the morning, Nathaniel would take Hermione and Harry out on the grounds and make them run for an hour or so. Then, they would make their way back to the school and eat breakfast with Ron and the other adults in the Great Hall. Then, Nathaniel would take Hermione and Ron to the Room of Requirements to train them at dueling while Harry went to Dumbledore's office to have his daily Occlumency lesson. When he would finish, he would go to the Great Hall and have lunch with his friends. At noon, very few adults were in the Great Hall, most of them on a mission for the order. After lunch, Nathaniel would take Ron and Harry back to the common room for their meditation period.  
  
When their meditation session would be over, Ron would leave Harry and Nathaniel to spend some time alone with Hermione. During that time, Harry and Nathaniel would leave the school and go swim in the lake with the giant squid or simply lay down in the grass and let the sun tan their skin. Most of the time, Nathaniel would be tired and fall asleep which was understandable since he was present for meditation, jogging and dueling. Harry had often asked the other boy how he managed not to drop dead from exhaustion, but Nathaniel would simply smile at him and chuckle.  
  
Harry thought Nathaniel had integrated the group pretty well. He had earned Hermione's respect the day he had told everyone he would be taking seven classes. They would sometimes talk during the evening about some academic subject or another. The druid however didn't get along with Ron that well. They didn't hate each other, but they had nothing in common and Harry knew that Ron felt threatened by the other boy. Before Nathaniel arrived into their lives, Harry had always been the heart of the group while Hermione was the head and Ron the muscles. Now however, Nathaniel could fill Ron's position better than him. To make matters worse for Ron, Nathaniel understood Harry in a way Ron never would be able to and he could debate on a subject Ron knew nothing about with Hermione for hours. That's why Ron was always a bit cold to the other boy.  
  
Harry knew all of this. After all, he had known Ron for five years now. If he wanted, Harry could have reassured Ron easily. An extra praise here and there would have made Ron more confident in himself, but Harry still remembered the betrayal he had felt when he had walked in on them kissing. Harry couldn't help it but feel a bit satisfied when Ron felt left apart when Nathaniel was having a discussion with Hermione. After all, the sorting hat had almost placed him in Slytherin. That wasn't for nothing, but under the satisfaction, Harry felt guilt. He was still Gryffindor so that's why he would congratulate Ron for something he had done. Not enough to reassure Ron completely, but enough to dampen the guilt. Harry felt bad for his behavior, but he was human above anything else. Not only a Gryffindor or a Slytherin, but a human with emotions.  
  
***  
  
The day passed quickly and before he knew it, Harry was lying down on the grass, shirtless, with Nathaniel beside him. The sun shone brightly on them and Harry could almost feel the sun tanning his unprotected chest. Nathaniel was sleeping on his stomach, leaving his unprotected back at the mercy of the sun. Harry lazily took his wand and performed a quick protection spell on Nathaniel to prevent him from having a sun burn. That done, he closed his eyes and went back to his sunbath.  
  
At first, Harry had been reluctant to take his shirt off, ashamed of his pathetic built compared to Nathaniel's perfect muscles, but then, his training had started to show its effect on his body. Harry had started to eat more and better so he had soon lost his skinny features and had entered his growth spurt. He had developed some muscles, nothing compared to Nathaniel, but Harry's arms had grown bigger, his shoulders stockier, his torso more solid and pronounced and his legs had become more rigid and strong although Harry tried not to get too stocky. As a seeker, he had to be swift. Most of his old clothes didn't fit him any more so he went to buy new ones, both muggle and wizard with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Remus and his three best friends in Diagon Alley. He bought bigger clothes that were a bit more flattering.  
  
He also realized Hermione and Ron had changed too. Because of the physical training, Hermione had become an amazingly beautiful young woman. Her curves would have made Fleur Delacour proud. She had grown in height as well as in beauty. Her lips had changed from the flat lines to full, red lips. Her nose had passed from the baby round to the dignified pointy. Her cheeks had gained a pinkish color. During their trip to Diagon Alley, she had bought tighter clothes and had disappeared with Tonks to a female underwear shop which was understandable seeing as her breast had greatly developed.  
  
Ron had continued growing which was starting to alarm his friends. They often joked that if he continued, he would be as tall as Hagrid. While Harry and Hermione were off running around the grounds with Nathaniel, Ron had been training on the Quidditch pitch. Hermione had charmed a Quaffle to try and get passed Ron and into one of the rings. From that training, he had developed his muscles and had started to eat more so he could be stockier and be able to cover more space.  
  
Harry looked around to see if anyone was around. When he was certain no one was near, he took out a snitch from his discarded shirt. The golden ball spread its wing and flew toward the sky. Harry waited until the ball was almost out of his reach before grabbing it at lightning speed. Harry practiced this routine for several minutes. Most of the times, he would be able to grab the Snitch, but sometimes he missed. He knew that with practice, he would catch the ball every time.  
  
"You know, your father used to do that." Said a voice.  
  
Harry looked toward the source and noticed Remus, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Tonks looking at him.  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's what gave me the idea. It's quite a challenge." Replied Harry, sitting up.  
  
"From what I saw, you were doing fine." Said Dumbledore.  
  
"I don't catch it every time." Explained Harry.  
  
"If I remember correctly, your father didn't catch it every time either when he started." Putted McGonagall.  
  
"That's right. In fact, James had more difficulty than Harry at first. He caught the Snitch only half the time." Revealed Remus.  
  
Harry beamed at that. His performance suddenly seemed more satisfactory.  
  
"Harry, I've been wondering what had caused the sudden change in attitude from all of you. The ghosts are telling us you've been running, meditating and dueling each day. What for ?" asked Tonks.  
  
"Tonks, Voldemort and me are going to face off in a duel someday. I think I need to be as ready as possible for that day. Hermione and Ron are known to be my best friends, I don't want Voldemort to use them to blackmail me or something. That's why they've been training too. Nathaniel's been helping us out."  
  
Harry and his friends had decided that that would be their excuse if someone asked about their training. It made perfect sense and in some way, it was true.  
  
"That's quite sensible of you, but Harry, I don't want you to train too hard. You're all still very young. Children your age shouldn't be bothering about saving the world. You need to enjoy your childhood as much as you can. Don't let Voldemort deprive you of your carefree days." Added Dumbledore.  
  
"Professor, I don't want to worry you or anything, but I'm afraid my carefree days have already ended if I had any. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't forget about Voldemort. His presence is ever present in my mind. If it was only about me, I would probably take it day by day, but there's the entire world who's depending on me. It's my duty to be ready when the time comes." "I'm afraid you're right, Harry, but I'll still ask you. Please try and take it easy." Pleaded Dumbledore with a sad smile on his face.  
  
"I will, Professor." Promised Harry.  
  
With that, the adults left, leaving Harry alone with a sleepy Nathaniel. Harry resumed his practice with the Snitch until Nathaniel finally woke up. They talked quietly together until the air started to cool a bit. Then, they headed straight for the common room to prepare for dinner.  
  
"Hey, guys, Dumbledore came and talked to me today. What he said made me think. All that training were doing, we told ourselves it's for the animagus transformation, but underneath it all, we're training in case of an attack. I realized we're letting Voldemort take over our lives. He's winning some kind of war against us. He's already started to conquer us by making us fear and dread him."  
  
"What are you getting at ?" asked Ron.  
  
"I say we do something for ourselves. Something completely pointless that won't have anything to do with Voldemort . Something we selfishly want."  
  
"That's a brilliant idea, Harry and I have just the thing we need." Replied Hermione as she grabbed a book in the pile she had placed in the common room so she could reach for books more easily.  
  
"Gentlemen, I propose a make-over." Announced Hermione as she handed the opened book to Harry.  
  
"What ?" asked Ron as he craned his neck to look behind Harry's shoulder.  
  
"It's a potion that allows you to permanently change some physical features. You only have to think about what you want to change while drinking the potion to make it happen."  
  
"How long does it take to prepare it ?" asked Nathaniel with a smile.  
  
"I can have it ready before dinner. The ingredients will be easy to find. All of them are in Snape's office and since he's under-cover for the order, he won't have trouble breaking in."  
  
"That's perfect. Most of the order are coming here to eat. I think they have a huge meeting later tonight. We can make our entrance when they're all there."  
  
"What are we waiting for ?" asked Ron.  
  
They headed directly to the dungeons. In there, Ron and Hermione headed in the potions class to get the potion started while Harry and Nathaniel broke into Snape's office to get the ingredients that weren't available in the potions class. When the two boys entered the potions class with the ingredients, Hermione and Ron were concentrated over a fuming cauldron.  
  
"Right on time. Harry, drop a scale of multi-colored chameleon in the potion fast. We need to add the ingredients at some precise moments."  
  
As Harry obeyed, the potions passed from fluorescent green to blood red. For the next fifteen minutes, the teens continued making the potion under the orders of Hermione and the occasional intervention of Nathaniel. Harry found himself enjoying immensely making the potion which made him realize he only hated the class because of the teacher. If it wasn't for Snape, maybe Harry would be looking forward to potions class. Harry made a promise to himself not to let Snape get to him anymore and to enrage him more, he vowed to enjoy potions as much as possible.  
  
Finally, as Nathaniel dropped the last ingredient in the potion, it changed from dark purple to sky blue. Hermione filled four goblets with the potions and handed them to her friends.  
  
"Remember to think very strongly about what you want to change. Now, on the count of three. One, two three."  
  
They all drank the entire content in the goblet in one gulp. Then, they closed their eyes and concentrated.  
  
Since they started meditating, concentration and focus was something they achieved far more easily than usual. Harry's control over his emotions was starting to improve too.  
  
Harry was concentrating as hard as he could. Suddenly he felt a tingling sensation all over his face. When the feeling stopped, Harry opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in one of the mirrors they had brought with them. He grinned as he took in his new appearance. His messy black hair were gone, replaced by straight black hair that stopped right at the tip of his nose. He had decided to change style as a tribute to Sirius. Harry had remembered the memory he had witnessed in Snape's pensive. In it, Sirius had long black hair that he elegantly pushed out from before his eyes. Also, Harry had concentrated on his sight. He didn't need his glasses anymore. The fact that there was no more glasses to hide his eyes revealed magnificent green eyes. Harry was really proud of the result. As he turned toward his friends, he gaped at what he saw.  
  
Hermione had lost the bushy hair he was so familiar with. Now, her brown hair fell to her shoulder blades in delicate waves. The change her hair had gone through was the last ingredient to Hermione's beauty. She was now the most beautiful woman Harry had ever seen.  
  
Ron had lost his freckles and gained a light tan, but the most significant change was his hair. They weren't bright orange anymore. They were of a very dark red, almost bronze and they didn't fall flat on his head anymore, they were cut short and spiky. Also, all sign of Ron's usual round face disappeared. Now, Ron had a definitely pronounced jaw and a more rectangular face.  
  
Nathaniel had grown his hair so they were as long as Hermione's if not longer. They fell straight down without a single curl. Their color had changed too. They weren't sandy-blond anymore, they were of a very metallic silver. The change was stunning. Harry noticed his purple eyes were brighter than before giving a mysterious look to him.  
  
"Wow, this is wicked." Exclaimed Ron as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.  
  
"Well, I guess the potion is a success." Added Nathaniel as he attached his hair in a loose ponytail much like the way Bill attached his long hair.  
  
"What time is it ?" wondered Harry.  
  
"It's time for the showdown." Replied Ron with a smile on his face.  
  
"Now, people, when we'll enter the Great Hall, everyone will be looking at us, but to make it really spectacular you have to act very naturally, as if we always looked like this."  
  
"Understood. Now, let's go."  
  
The four teenagers ran excitedly toward the Great Hall, pushing each other, messing around like normal teenagers, but when they reached the door, they suddenly stopped. They fixed their clothing, their hair and when they were sure everything was perfect, they pushed the doors open and entered. 


	6. Fire

CHAPTER 6  
  
"I have to agree with Remus on this one, Molly." Said Dumbledore joyfully.  
  
Dumbledore was enjoying a friendly debate with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well as their two oldest sons and Remus Lupin. It was in times like this that Dumbledore could really forget about his responsibilities in the order and enjoy some spare time with some friends.  
  
"Once again, it seems I'm in minority. Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother to contradict anyone." Sulked Molly.  
  
"You bother because you care, Mom." Added Bill.  
  
"Very true. The order would not be what it is if you weren't there to object to dangerous missions." Explained Dumbledore.  
  
"Oh...well...thank you." Said Molly, blushing.  
  
They all laughed at her reaction, embarrassing her further. When they finally managed to calm down, Dumbledore took a look around the Great Hall. Tonks was engaged in a heated conversation with McGonagall and Sinistra, the astronomy teacher while Mundungus Fletcher talked with the Weasley twins who had joined the order recently. They had been elected chief of diversion tactics when they had used some of their fireworks to distract Death eaters who were going to kill Tonks after a failed mission. Severus Snape even took some of their Extendable Ears to spy on other Death Eaters. There was several other little group talking together all around the Great Hall while eating, but Dumbledore suddenly frowned when he noticed a group missing.  
  
"Has anyone seen Harry and his friends ?" asked Dumbledore.  
  
"No, they still haven't came to eat." Replied Arthur.  
  
Then, suddenly the doors started to open.  
  
"This must be them." Announced Charlie.  
  
Indeed, it was the four teenagers although it took everyone a second glance to make sure of that. They didn't look at all the way they usually did. Their hair had changed, but the most flagrant modification was Ron's usual orange hair that had become dark red. Remus let escape a gasp when he recognized Harry's hair. Dumbledore too recognized them. They were an exact replica of Sirius's when he was still at Hogwarts.  
  
The four teenagers walked calmly toward Dumbledore and his group, acting as though nothing had changed. Ron sat down between his older brothers, Harry between Remus and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Nathaniel sat between Dumbledore and Bill Weasley. "Good evening everyone." Greeted Hermione with a smile.  
  
"Ron, what have you done to your hair ?" exclaimed Molly.  
  
"Ron, that color is awesome." congratulated Charlie.  
  
"Harry-"started Remus, with tears in his eyes.  
  
"I know, Remus." Replied Harry looking at his second godfather.  
  
"Hermione, I have to say this is quite a nice change." Praised Arthur.  
  
"Hey Nate, you're taking after me, are you ?" said Bill.  
  
"Bill, I have always said you were my inspiration." Joked Nathaniel.  
  
"May I ask why the sudden change ?" inquired Dumbledore with a smile.  
  
"Well, Professor, it's kind of because of you." Replied Harry.  
  
"It is ?" continued Dumbledore, curious.  
  
"You said this afternoon we shouldn't let Voldemort deprive us of our carefree days. So we listened to you and did something carefree, something normal teenagers would do."  
  
"I see. Well, I'm glad to know that, but why did you decide to copy Sirius's hair ?"  
  
"Well, I became aware I had my mother's eyes and my father's features, but I had nothing of Sirius. You could say it's a tribute to those who aren't here with us anymore." Explained Harry.  
  
"Ron, how could you go through such a drastic change without telling me about it ? I'm your mother, after all." Exclaimed Molly.  
  
"Chill Mom, he looks fantastic." Defended Bill with a goofy smile.  
  
"Chill ? You dare tell your mother to CHILL !" yelled Molly.  
  
As he looked at the Weasley family arguing, Harry couldn't help but feel glad he didn't live with them, but glad that they considered him a member of the family. Turning his attention back toward Remus, Harry said :  
  
"You know, now I have to learn to push my hair out of my eyes the way Sirius did." Observed Harry.  
  
Remus had to laugh at that. Even in times like this, Harry still managed to keep a sane mind and joke. "If you want, I could leave a memory of Sirius doing that in Dumbledore's pensive so you can watch it each day before you're Occlumency lesson, if that's okay with the headmaster of course." Suggested Remus looking at the old wizard.  
  
"Of course I am okay with this. Talking about Occlumency lessons, Harry I've been meaning to tell you. I believe you've learned everything there is to know about Occlumency and that you performed every technique extremely well. Now, if you want to continue, I could teach you Legilimency."  
  
"That would be wonderful, Professor. Is it hard to master ?"  
  
"No. In fact, you already know most of theory concerning Legilimency because of our previous lessons. I only need to show you the actual practice."  
  
"Then I'll be meeting you tomorrow same time, same place ?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
For the rest of the evening, everyone enjoyed good food, delicious drinks and friendly conversation. Ron even told the twins how to do the potion so they could create some new prank. Finally, after two or three hours, the order members started to fill out of the Great Hall heading to their meeting.  
  
"Well, good night, kids."  
  
"Good night, Bill."  
  
"Well, my friends. We have the Great Hall to ourselves." Declared Nathaniel as he played distractingly with his new hair.  
  
"I think I'm going to call it a night. I'm tired." Sad Ron as he headed for the Common room.  
  
"I'm going with you, Ron." Declared Hermione as she ran to catch her boyfriend.  
  
"And then, there were two." Said Harry.  
  
The two boys sat together in comfortable silence, neither one wanting to break the silence. Harry was laying down on the table looking up at the fake night sky while Nathaniel rested his head on his arm which was on the table while the other hand was playing with the tips of his hair. Suddenly, Harry got up and came down from the table.  
  
"Where are you going ?" asked Nathaniel following his friend.  
  
"I fancy a nighttime walk around the grounds."  
  
"Let's go then." The two boys left the school and started walking on the grounds. The summer air was refreshing, but not cold. They walked silently to the Quidditch pitch then to the Whomping willow. After that they went to Hagrid's hut which was empty since Hagrid was at the meeting. They walked on the edge of the Forbidden forest before heading back to the school.  
  
As they were making their way back to the school, a movement coming from the Forbidden forest caught Harry's eye. When he turned he saw a thestral flying over the forest.  
  
"I didn't know there was thestrals in the forest." Said Nathaniel.  
  
"You can see them ?"  
  
"My father. He died while the men of the village were hunting a crazed dragon. He was burned to death."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. He died like a true Dragon's keeper." Replied Nathaniel when suddenly a frown appeared on his face.  
  
"What is it ?" asked Harry.  
  
"The thestral is acting weird."  
  
When Harry looked back at the creature, he noticed the young druid was right. The thestral was flying erratically in the air, as if it was afraid of going back in the Forest. Suddenly, a huge jet of flame emerged from the forest and almost hit the thestral. The creature screeched and flew off. Harry then noticed that flames were starting to appear all over.  
  
"By Merlin's beard, the forest is on fire." Yelled Harry.  
  
"We have to tell the order. Come on."  
  
Without another word, the boys ran as fast as they could toward the school. Harry's training was finally paying off. At the back of his mind, he realized he was running far faster than before and he wasn't even sweating. His breath was controlled and calm.  
  
They ran straight into the entrance door and pushed it open before running to the stairs. They opened another door and found themselves in the huge room were dozens of stairs were moving on their on while thousands of portraits looked on.  
  
"Hey Harry, Nathaniel, over here." Yelled a voice.  
  
It was Ron and Hermione. They were waving at them from above. They were obviously unaware of the ongoing fire. As Nathaniel and Harry started to ran up the stairs, the druid yelled to this two other friends.  
  
"Ron, Hermione. There is a fire in the forbidden forest. We have to tell the order."  
  
Without another word, the two lovers started to go down the stairs to meet their friends. When they were finally reunited, they ran to the third floor. They ran in the familiar corridor with torches lighting their way. The cobwebs had been cleaned. The corridor didn't look at all the way it did in Harry's first year.  
  
At the end of the corridor, they saw the door that once led to Fluffy's room. On it was graved a huge phoenix. In a final boost, they reached the door and pushed it open. They suddenly found themselves facing a huge round table with a phoenix engraved on it. All the members were sitting around the table except Dumbledore who was up and talking. Without wasting time, Harry explained the situation.  
  
"Professor, the Forbidden forest is on fire. We have to do something or all the animals there will die."  
  
Everyone looked at Harry and his friends who were leaning on the table, breathless. Immediately, Dumbledore took control of things.  
  
"Portus" he said pointing his wand at the table which glowed blue for a second. Immediately, everyone put their hands on the table and suddenly they appeared on the grounds with the table. The fire had progressed. The sky was ablaze and it was hard to breath with all the smoke. Animals were running in every direction. Hippogriffs, thestrals, unicorns, centaurs, owls, snakes, birds. It was total chaos.  
  
"The Ihomed rune. Now." Ordered Dumbledore.  
  
Immediately, the order members formed a tight line and started waving their wands around as if they were writing in the air. When they were finished, a glowing blue sign appeared in front of each of them and by using their wands, they fired the rune in the air above the forest. Suddenly, dark clouds formed and rain started pouring all over the school and grounds. In mere seconds, everyone was soaked to the bone. Suddenly, after assessing the storm, Dumbledore turned to Harry and his friends.  
  
"You four, call the Environmental emergency and the Magical creatures department of the Ministry. Fast. Then, I want you to go back inside." Yelled Dumbledore to make himself heard above all the noise.  
  
"What ? We want to help." Yelled back Harry.  
  
Dumbledore walked to Harry and put his hands on the young boy shoulders.  
  
"Harry, listen to me. Forests don't catch fire on their own. Someone did this to distract us and make us leave the school. That person wanted to enter the school. Why ? I don't know, but I'm counting on you to stop him. The order has to stay here or the entire school will be burned down."  
  
Harry looked directly in Dumbledore's eyes and realized that, for the first time, Dumbledore was asking him to risk his life voluntarily. Harry nodded determinately and left with his friends.  
  
"How do we call those departments ?" asked Nathaniel.  
  
"It's like muggle 9-1-1. Ron, call the magical animals department and I'll call the environmental emergencies." Ordered Hermione.  
  
Ron nodded and the two teens took out their wands and traced a huge circle in front of them. Then, they yelled forcefully the name of the department. Suddenly, in the circle appeared the faces of two wizards.  
  
"Environmental emergencies. What can I do for you ?"  
  
"Yes. A huge fire has broke out in the forest on Hogwarts grounds. We need immediate help." Yelled Hermione.  
  
"Understood. We will send everyone available."  
  
With that, the circle disappeared as well as the wizard. When Ron was finished, Harry told them what Dumbledore asked him to do. They ran inside and started to walk around.  
  
"The school is huge. How are we supposed to find this guy ?" asked Ron.  
  
"No one can apparate here, Ron. The only way to enter is by the front entrance. That person must have entered while the order was concentrating on the rune." Explained Hermione.  
  
"Okay, but that doesn't tell us how we're supposed to find the guy." Added Nathaniel.  
  
"I might have an idea." Said Harry.  
  
With that, they ran to the huge room with moving stairs. Harry spotted the first portrait he saw and asked him:  
  
"Excuse me. Have you seen someone unusual coming here ?"  
  
"Oh yes. A few minutes ago, a group of people came in wearing dark cloaks. I couldn't see any of their traits. They went straight for the founders tower."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"What's the founders tower ?" asked Nathaniel who still had to learn all the corridors and classes in the school.  
  
"It's a tower that was constructed in honor of the four founders. There's four huge portraits of them and displays of some of their belongings. I wonder why they went there ?" explained Hermione.  
  
"We can ask them when we capture them. Now, we have to get all the way to the last set of stairs. By the time we arrive, it'll be too late."  
  
"Not with this. Spongify" said Hermione while pointing her wand on the ground.  
  
A green beam fired from her wand and transformed into a glowing green square.  
  
"Follow me." Said Hermione.  
  
She jumped on the square and rebounded high in the air. She landed on the last platform. The boys looked at each other then at the green square which acted as a trampoline. Harry was next, followed by Ron and finally Nathaniel.  
  
"Pretty useful trick you got there, Hermione." Complimented Nathaniel.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Okay, let's go." With that, Nathaniel opened the door leading to the tower, his hand in front of him. 


	7. Transformation

CHAPTER 7  
  
Nathaniel scanned the room for any Death Eaters standing guard. When he was sure no one was there, he walked into the room, letting his three friends do the same. The room was round and several torches lighted it. On the walls were placed incredible amount of different pictures portraying the four founders. In the middle of the room, they noticed a spiral staircase making its way upwards all the way to the top of the tower and through the ceiling. After looking around the room, the four teenagers gathered around the staircase.  
  
"Well, I guess we're going up." Declared Ron as he tried to get look though the hole in the ceiling where the stairs disappeared.  
  
"This is going to take forever. Can't we use Stupefy again ?" asked Harry.  
  
"Better not. If someone is up there standing guard, he'll take us out before we even had the time to land." Mentioned Hermione.  
  
"Well, then, I guess we're taking the stairs."  
  
With that, they started to climb the stairs as fast as they could while making little noise. They kept a constant lookout for anyone who might be looking down. Luckily for them, no one did so they were able to climb all the way to the top without incident. This time, Harry was leading so he was the first one to reach the end of the staircase. He carefully took a peak inside the room. Several figures in dark cloaks were looking around the room, obviously searching for something. Harry looked around and saw four incredibly huge portraits of the four founders. Something odd was that unlike normal wizard photos, these didn't move. Between the portraits were displayed the belongings of the founders. Currently, the Death Eaters were looking through them.  
  
"Come on. Go faster, you bunch of useless worms. We don't have all day. We have to be gone with the key before Dumbledore finish dealing with the fire. " Ordered a voice.  
  
Harry looked at the person who had spoke and recognized Avery. He had been at the Department of mysteries that fateful day. Harry wondered what he meant by 'key'. The boy felt a tug on his sleeve and crouched back down and looked at his friends.  
  
"I saw eight of them plus Avery." He whispered.  
  
"Nine Death Eaters. That's a bit much for four students." Noted Ron.  
  
"Maybe for normal students, but if you haven't noticed we aren't. We've been training for something like that. I think this is a good time to see if training paid off." Replied Nathaniel.  
  
"I agree, but how are we going to go into the room without being noticed ?"asked Nathaniel. "Simple." Said Harry with a grin.  
  
He touched Hermione's hair with his wand and concentrated. Suddenly, Hermione disappeared from sight.  
  
"What happened ?"asked the voice of Hermione.  
  
"I disillusioned you. Now, next."  
  
When the four of them were all camouflaged, they quietly entered the room and spread out. Before they could do anything, there was a loud crash as one of the Death Eaters broke a crystal ball. Soon after, he yelled :  
  
"Hey, I think I got it." He said holding something round covered in old- battered leather.  
  
"Took you long enough. Give me that, you fool" growled Avery.  
  
However, before he managed to take it from the other Death Eaters, a spell erupted from thin air and hit the Death Eater in full chest. The man hit the wall and fell to the floor, unconscious.  
  
"Someone's here. Get him." Ordered Avery as he rushed to the fallen object.  
  
Curses flew everywhere, in the general direction of where the spell had been fired, but by that time, Hermione had moved.  
  
"Stupefy" yelled Ron, hitting a death eater who fell to the ground.  
  
Immediately, several shoots were fired toward him, but he ducked and rolled away.  
  
"You fools, stop firing curses in every direction. Don't you see they're disillusioned ? Look around for a shimmer and shoot it." Grunted Avery a few feet away from the strange object  
  
They did as they ordered and stopped shooting. They looked around for any sign of a ripple in the air. Suddenly, one appeared in the middle of the group. Before they could do anything, kicks and punches flew everywhere, knocking the Death eaters. As if it was a signal, the other figures started shooting different curses at every Death Eaters. In all the commotion, no one seemed to notice Avery had grabbed the object and was running toward the stairs.  
  
"Oh no you don't" yelled Harry as he tackled Avery to the ground. They both recovered quickly and got back to their feet.  
  
"Crucio." Yelled Avery at the shimmering for of Harry.  
  
"Protego." Countered Harry.  
  
The curse rebounded on the shield Harry had summoned and handed up scorching the wall. Acting quickly, Harry attacked before Avery had a chance to continue.  
  
"Expelliarmus."  
  
With that, Avery was knocked to the ground, his wand and the object flying to Harry. The boy got rid of the leather covering the object and discovered a perfectly round golden sphere. A multitude of runes were engraved on it. Harry hid it in his pocket and snapped the other wand in two. Dismissively, Harry stunned Avery and left him there. Ron, Hermione and Nathaniel were just finishing stunning and binding the Death Eaters.  
  
Then, they assembled Voldemort's followers and used a magical rope Hermione had conjured to tie them all together. Just as they were finished, the order members rushed through the stairs, but stopped dead when they saw the nine Death Eaters unconscious and tied up.  
  
"Well, it looks to me as those kids didn't need our help after all." Growled Moody, but Harry noticed a smile on the older man's face.  
  
"So it would seem." added McGonagall with a relieved look.  
  
"Good job, kids." Congratulated Lupin with a grin.  
  
"Do you have any idea what they were looking for ?" asked Dumbledore.  
  
"Yeah. They were looking for this." Replied Harry as he took out the golden orb from his pocket.  
  
Surprised gasps came from all the teachers while the other members seemed clueless. Dumbledore walked toward Harry calmly and took the orb.  
  
"Well, well, well. That's quite a discovery. Do you know where they found it ?" inquired Dumbledore.  
  
"They broke a crystal ball and it was inside." Answered Ron.  
  
"I see."  
  
Dumbledore examined the orb carefully, frowning, before slipping it inside his cloak and looking back at everyone.  
  
"Well, I think we all had an eventful day. I suggest we all go rest."  
  
"Professor, is the fire extinguished ?" asked Nathaniel.  
  
"Yes, it is. The people from the ministry are repairing the damage and treating the animals who have been hurt. Do not worry about them. They are fine."  
  
With that, Harry and his friends made their way to the Gryffindor common room, while the order dealt with the captured Death Eaters. When they arrived, they all collapsed in armchairs, tired.  
  
"Man, I can't believe we took on nine death eaters and won." Said Ron.  
  
"Thanks to our training. I'm not sure we would have done as good if we hadn't been training for so long." Replied Hermione.  
  
"Probably not, but Dumbledore wouldn't have sent us after them if he wasn't sure we would be fine." Noted Harry.  
  
"Actually, I'm surprised he even asked us. I mean, he's so protective of his students, Harry in particular." Added Nathaniel.  
  
"I think he came to realize he wouldn't be able to protect me forever. He knows one day, I'll be facing Voldemort and maybe he believes it's better for me to have some experience and training."  
  
"Very true. On another matter, how about we start animagus transformation ?" suggested Nathaniel.  
  
"You mean we're ready ?"  
  
"Of course. We all are. We can't be training forever. One day or another, we'll have to try it. I prepared some potions in case one of the transformation goes wrong. It'll cancel the transformation and turn us back into humans."  
  
"Good thinking, I don't want to be stuck in the middle of the transformation. "commented Ron.  
  
"I suggest we wait until tomorrow. We're very tired and it wouldn't be safe to try the transformation if we're not 100% ready."  
  
"Fine. We try before breakfast. First thing tomorrow."  
  
*** "Now that Ron finally has woken up, we can begin." Announced Nathaniel as he looked reprovingly at Ron.  
  
"Hey, I was tired and you didn't have to throw water in my face, you know."  
  
"This is not the time. Now, let's begin. Okay, let me explain everything. We've been training for a very long time, but I don't think you fully understood the reason behind it. Meditation will bring us more easily in a state where only the mind exists. That's necessary if you don't want to lose control and risking the animal instinct to take over. Physical training was to make the transformation as painless as possible. The first transformation is said to be very painful for those who aren't in the best of shape. Finally, the magical training was to increase our magic potential. The more magic you have in reserve the more natural you animal- self will look. For the animagi that don't have a lot of magic, there are some signs that could give you away. Now, let's start meditating. This could be long so be patient. Focus on your goal. When you have entered the correct state, you'll notice another presence with you. That's your animagus form. Don't go looking for it. It will appear on its own. Sometimes fast, sometimes not so fast. Once you found it, you have to tame it and will it to join with you. Once that is done, the rest will follow."  
  
The four of them took position on the floor, crossed-legged. They closed their eyes and cleared their minds. They forgot about the presence of their friends, the furniture, even the ground.  
  
Harry was floating in emptiness. He was totally cut off the rest of the world. There was only himself. He didn't even know what he was. He only knew he WAS. Harry realized that's what Nathaniel had meant by saying the place where only the mind exists. Harry knew he was currently in that state. He instantly had to fight the urge to look for the other presence. It was so tempting, but he knew he would only scare his animagus. So he resigned himself to wait.  
  
He didn't know how much time had passed. To him, it had been hours, but maybe for the others, only a few minutes had passed. The only thing he knew was that he wasn't alone anymore. He could definitely feel the other presence. It was strong and ferocious. It seemed agitated and nervous, making it dangerous. Harry tried as best as he could to calm the other presence down by sending reassuring waves to the presence like he had learned in his books. The animagus seemed to recoil at the sensation, afraid. Harry concentrated even harder and knew that if he had a body, he would be sweating. He sent waves after waves of reassurance, trust and love. Finally, when Harry was starting to get exhausted, the presence seemed to accept him. Harry could feel it examining him for any sign of threat. Then, suddenly, the presence darted straight for him. Harry was immediately assaulted by emotions, feelings and urges. Harry was overwhelmed by the rush of unfamiliar feelings. Luckily for him, he recalled his Occlumency training with Dumbledore. Concentrating, he built walls to protect himself from the invasion.  
  
The feelings stopped, but Harry couldn't see the animagus anywhere. He guessed it had merge with him. Before he could do anything, pain assaulted him next. His meditation fell apart, his trance disappeared. Only his Occlumency walls remained.  
  
Harry could feel himself changing. His bones were changing position, his internal organs shifted from their place, his face distorted. Pain coursed through his veins, but he couldn't help but be happy. He was finally becoming an animagus. It felt like he had been transforming for an eternity. He could hear his own bones snapping into place, new ones appearing. Then came the perspectives. He suddenly could smell things he had never been able to. His hearing was sharp and precise. His vision was incredibly accurate. Harry got up and felt four powerful legs under him. He felt the power he now had. He suddenly started running like a mad, rolling on himself.  
  
He had began chasing his own tail when suddenly, a roar echoed through the room. Harry stopped dead and looked around. He found a magnificent gray puma standing elegantly on top of an armchair looking down at him. Harry could've sworn he could see amusement in the other feline features.  
  
"Who is it ? Hermione, Nathaniel or Ron ?"  
  
The puma jumped down and approached Harry. The two cats looked directly into each other eyes and Harry immediately identified Nathaniel as the gray puma. The other cat had bright purple eyes which was impossible for a normal cat. Nathaniel seemed to recognized Harry somehow, because next thing he knew, Harry was playfully pushed to the ground by Nathaniel. The two played together for a while before a they were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a cat meowing. They turned toward the source of the sound, a orange cat with some stripes of a darker shape of orange which was standing on its rear paws, calm. Harry approached the cat and looked at it, trying to express his confusion. He wanted to know who it was, but didn't know how to ask.  
  
The cat suddenly walked away, soon followed by Nathaniel and Harry. The cat stopped just in front of Ron who was still meditating.  
  
"Well, that means Hermione is the cat."  
  
Suddenly, Harry realized he still didn't know what animal he was. He knew he was some kind of large cat, but other than that, he had no clue. He pounced toward a nearby mirror and looked at himself. He was amazed. He had become a white tiger with bright green eyes, but the amazing part was that no visible lightning bolt shaped scar could be seen. Harry looked at himself on every angle, but no sign of scar. Harry was so happy to finally not have the scar on his forehead.  
  
When he went back to Hermione and Nathaniel, he found them laying near Ron, obviously waiting for the boy to take on his new form. Harry laid down near them and placed his head on the side of Nathaniel's body. Hermione laid down between Harry's paws. They waited like this for a long time, but Ron still hadn't moved. Suddenly, a clock sounded and when they looked at it, they realized it was noon. They had missed breakfast and if Ron didn't finish soon, they would miss lunch too. They looked anxiously at each other, than at Ron before, resigning themselves and getting back to their previous position. However, they bolted right back on their paws when they saw Ron changing. He shrugged drastically. His face took on a look of pain before transforming. A beak replaced the mouth and feathers started to appear on his body. Soon, Ron had taken the form of a falcon. He was completely brown except for his beak which was yellow at the base and gray at the tip.  
  
Ron shook himself and ruffled his wings before finally taking notice of the other three animals present in the room. He tried to approach, but fell right to the ground, not having realized he wasn't human anymore. After several attempts, he finally got the hang of it and started bouncing to move. Then he tried to fly, but failed miserably.  
  
Nathaniel turned around and walked away only to return with a book in his mouth. Using his paws, he opened the book at a particular page before pushing it with his nose toward Ron. The other three looked at the page which said :  
  
Bird animagi usually have great difficulty to master flying. This is due to the unfamiliarity of having wings instead of arms. The solution to this problem is to allow the animal instinct to partially take over the body. At first, this is difficult because the animal spirit tries to take over completely. With practice, the animal and human mind will fuse together and become one which greatly helps to master the animagus form. After the fusion of the two minds, it is common for the animagus to have animalistic urges and instinct in human form. In some cases, the animagus conserves the enhanced senses of the his or her animagus form.  
  
With that, Ron turned away from the book and then stopped moving. Harry guessed he was trying to fuse with his animal self. Looking at his two other friends, he noticed they were doing the same and that he was the only one not currently fusing his human and animal mind. He quickly reentered in meditation where only the minds existed. He could now clearly see the tiger and himself. He approached slowly, but surprisingly, the tiger came to him and started turning around him. He sent waves of love and reassurance and soon after, he had fused with the tiger. Now, there was only one mind in his body.  
  
Harry opened his eyes just in time to see Ron spreading his wings and taking off. He flew around the common room for a moment before landing again. By that time, Hermione and Nathaniel had finished fusing with their animal selves. Ron landed on the window sill and looked outside at the beautiful day.  
  
With that, the four of them ran or flew out of the room in the corridors with the idea of going outside. Just as they descended the marble stairs leading to the entrance hall, Harry caught a delicious smell coming from the Great hall. His friends seemed to have smelt it as well because they had stopped too. Then, without thinking they rushed into the Great Hall. 


	8. Werewolf

CHAPTER 8  
  
The Hogwarts teachers and a few members of the order were enjoying a nice lunch. They were chatting in small groups, discussing order business and other subjects. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a puma, a tiger, a cat and a falcon came rushing into the Great Hall.  
  
Before anyone could move, the puma had jumped on the table and was devouring Bill's dish, which was full of chicken wings while the tiger sank his teeth in a steak Remus had been eating. The falcon landed in the middle of Dumbledore's plate and started ripping the meat in it with its beak while the cat licked the entire milk contained in McGonagall's goblet.  
  
"What are these animals doing here?" asked Molly as she tried to prevent the cat from moving on to her goblet.  
  
Dumbledore, who had simply been watching the falcon eat in his plate with amusement, looked up with a smile.  
  
"I will take care of this."  
  
He took out his wand and muttered something. Suddenly, a blue beam shot out of his wand toward the puma. However, the animal was faster and jumped out of the way, causing the beam to hit Bill's dish. Suddenly, the dish was imprisoned in a glowing blue bubble which was floating in the air.  
  
"He's a fast one." Commented Dumbledore, although he looked like having a lot of fun.  
  
Seeing the threat, the four animals scrambled from the table and rushed toward the door, obviously trying to flee from the room and its occupants.  
  
"I think not. Colloportus." Said McGonagall, sending a beam on the doors which suddenly closed and locked.  
  
Cornered, but not defeated, the animals spread in all direction, hiding under the tables, running everywhere as everyone present, starting firing spells like Dumbledore's. However, the animals didn't seem to be keen to be captured. After some times, chairs, portraits, tables and dishes were floating around the room stuck in bubbles. Bill, Charlie, Mr. Arthur, Dumbledore, Tonks, the twins and Remus seemed to be having a lot fun as they dared each other to be the first to capture one of the animals.  
  
Finally, after fives minutes of chasing, the cat was captured by Bill and the falcon, almost immediately after by Charlie. The tiger and puma were harder to catch, but Dumbledore managed to trap them in a corner.  
  
"Well, this was quite amusing." Said Dumbledore a huge grin on his features.  
  
"Headmaster, with all due respect, sometimes, I find you more childish than you're students." Reproached Molly, a stern look on her face.  
  
"Thank you very much, Molly. I try as hard as I can to act young." Replied Dumbledore with a smile.  
  
"Albus, you're hopeless." Continued Molly, although she was smiling.  
  
"Now, I'll take these four to my office. Minerva, would you please follow me. You too Remus. The rest of you, please take care of all those floating bubbles and release what's inside them."  
  
With that, Dumbledore left with McGonagall and Lupin at his side, leading the four floating bubbles carrying the animals with his wand. They walked quietly to Dumbledore's office while the four animals tried to get to their feet, but failed and rolled around in their bubble prison. Finally, they reached the stone gargoyle.  
  
"Skiving Snackboxes." Said the headmaster.  
  
The gargoyle moved upwards, revealing a circular staircase. Finally, they were all seated in the headmaster's office.  
  
"Well, I think it's time the lot of you, become normal again." Declared Dumbledore as he looked at the animals.  
  
McGonagall and Lupin looked at the older wizard with confusion. To their astonishment, the creatures seemed to nod before starting to transform. The bubbles suddenly popped and Harry, Hermione, Ron and Nathaniel crashed to the ground, groaning.  
  
"By Merlin, my entire body is aching." Groaned Nathaniel as he lay flat of his back.  
  
"Mine too. Is that normal ?" complained Ron.  
  
"If it's your first transformation like I suspect, it is normal. Your body isn't fully accustomed to the transformation. As you start transforming more often, the pain will disappear and the use of meditation will be unnecessary.  
  
"Albus, you knew they were training to become animagi ?" asked Lupin.  
  
"I had my suspicions, but I was only sure when they entered the Great Hall today. Minerva, are you alright ?"  
  
"I'm simply... they... Albus...it's the first time some of my students achieve such advance transfiguration since the marauders." Said McGonagall, in tears.  
  
McGonagall may seem like a very strict person and professor, and it was true, but she was also a very caring and protective person. She took great pride in her Gryffindors and loved her students. To know that her students had managed to become animagi without any help filled her with more pride then she could bear. It proved to her that she was a good teacher and all her efforts to teach them transfiguration weren't in vain.  
  
"I know Minerva. Now, blow your nose while Remus and I help the children in some seats. "  
  
Dumbledore conjured four cozy chairs and along with Remus, they lifted the teens and placed them into seats. The four youngsters could hardly move a muscle, much less seat by themselves. Once everyone was seated and McGonagall had regained her composure, the Headmaster continued.  
  
"Now, I have brought all of you here for a reason. First, we must discuss your new animagi status." Began Dumbledore.  
  
"What is there to discuss ? I mean, we transformed and that's great. It could prove to be useful." Replied Ron.  
  
"Yes, it is useful, but that's not what I wanted to discuss. I wish that you don't register as animagi."  
  
"What ? Albus, you can't be serious. We would be breaking the law." Protested McGonagall.  
  
"I am well aware of this. However, I am also aware that Voldemort must never learn of Harry's ability. We have to keep this a secret. Maybe it will save Harry's life in the future. This applies also to his friends. They could be able to save him with their animagus form."  
  
Everyone stayed silent. McGonagall knew this was the most sensible thing to do, but she still couldn't help but disapprove. However, she stayed quiet. In her years of teaching with Dumbledore, she came to realize the powerful wizard was hardly ever wrong.  
  
"Now, this must also be kept a secret for the order and the teachers in case they are captured and interrogated. The only persons who will know about this are currently here. Now, on another subject. Remus, I would like you to fill once again the position of defense teacher."  
  
"What ? Albus, as much as I would love it, you know I won't be able to. The parents will send letters. They won't allow a werewolf to teach their children."  
  
"I know they wouldn't allow Remus Lupin to teach, but they will allow someone else." Said the headmaster, with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
Everyone was now confused and looking at Dumbledore. One minute he was asking Lupin to be the DADA teacher, the next he was saying he couldn't. Ron even though the old man had finally lost it.  
  
"You will be in disguise. I have something here that will disguise you from everyone." Said Dumbledore as he opened a drawer and took out a ring. It was gold and on it were engraved some runes.  
  
"I have acquired it not long ago during a visit to Egypt with Bill Weasley in a search for possible allies. I brought it here for examination and discovered it had the ability to disguise someone. Remus, I give it to you so you can teach again. Since I became headmaster, I have never seen a better defense teacher. You deserve that job."  
  
"Albus, I'm really flattered, but there are risks. What if I transform and attack a student ? You're going to ask Severus to make a Wolfbane's potion ?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid we will have to keep Severus in the dark. He might let something slip again and I don't want that to happen...again. I will make the potion myself and add some extra ones to lessen the symptoms. You won't have to be absent once a month like last time which will minimize the chances of someone figuring you out."  
  
"Professor, I think we should do something more. Last time, that plan didn't work out that well." Interrupted Harry.  
  
"What do you suggest, Harry ?"asked Dumbledore.  
  
"I think the four of us should be with Remus when he transforms. We know the presence of other animals helps to control a werewolf. Besides, if for any reason Remus should not take his potion, we would be here to keep an eye on him and to restrain him in case he gets out of control. It'll help us master our transformation too."  
  
"No Harry. I don't want you to be near me when I'm in that state and I don't want you to watch me." Said Lupin.  
  
"Remus, I already saw you transform and you know me enough to know you being a werewolf doesn't change anything about my opinion about you." Said Harry with a fierce glint in his eyes.  
  
"But, what if what you said happened. What if I transform without having taken the potion. You said you'd restrain me. I could hurt you badly. Remember two years ago, I hurt Sirius when I transformed. I don't want that to happen to you."  
  
"Remus, I won't be alone. Nathaniel, Hermione and Ron will be there too. Four of us, one of you."  
  
"Maybe Nathaniel and you could do something, but Hermione is a cat and Ron a bird. What could they do ?" "Ron is a falcon, a hunter. His beak and talons are strong enough to rip flesh. I think he has even more chances to restrain you than us. Besides, as an animagus, he's bigger than normal falcons, he could very well lift you in the air. Hermione could claw you very well and although she's bigger than most cats, she's still smaller than you which would allow her to dodge your attacks."  
  
Remus stayed silent, unable to find something to reply. He didn't have any valuable reply to contradict Harry. He was trapped. Finally, with a deep sigh of resignation, he nodded.  
  
"Than, it is settled. Once a month, you will leave the Gryffindor tower after classes are over under the invisibility cloak and make your way to Remus's office where you will make sure he takes the potion I will have prepared for him. I will give each of you some of the potion in a bottle in case something happens to the one I would have given Remus."  
  
"Professor, I have learned to perform disillusionment spell. Maybe, it would be more convenient than the cloak. I mean it's very useful when you're alone inside, but with four of us inside, we're taken some risks."  
  
"Well then, Harry, teach your friends to perform it too. Minerva, as Head of Gryffindor house, I believe you will make sure they don't get in trouble for being out of their common room after dark."  
  
"Of course, Albus."  
  
"Then, it is settled. Remus, I will show you how to work the ring and then the children will help you choose a good disguise and get settled in your old office. Meanwhile, Minerva and I will officialize your arrival."  
  
*** One hour later, Remus along with the four teenagers had moved all of Lupin's stuff into his old office. They had then asked the house-elves to give them some of the leftovers from lunch, but the elves had insisted to prepare something new and by the time, the five of them had reached the deserted great hall, food had already been served. The teenagers had immediately threw themselves at the food, having missed lunch and lost a lot of energy because of their first transformation.  
  
"Now, we need to find you a disguise." Began Harry.  
  
"One moment, please." Interrupted Lupin.  
  
He got up and went straight for the wall behind the teachers' table. He touched some bricks with his wand which suddenly glowed. Immediately, the doors closed and locked, the windows grew bricks to block them and blue glow surrounded the room before vanishing.  
  
"It's a security system Dumbledore installed in case we're attacked. Now, no one can spy on us."  
  
"Good idea. Now, let's get started."  
  
Remus took out the ring and put it on. He then held up his hand with the ring on it in front of him and recited the spell Dumbledore told him would activate the ring. Suddenly, Remus had lost all of his features. He looked like one of those dolls found in clothing shops that were used to show the products.  
  
"Wow, this feels weird." Said Remus through shapeless lips.  
  
"Okay. I say we start with Remus usual appearance and change some things because like that, we won't risk forgetting about something and leave a empty spot on him." Suggested Hermione.  
  
Suddenly, the doll changed into Remus.  
  
"Okay, first things first. Blue eyes and short jet-black hair."  
  
"Then, a more pointy nose."  
  
"A more pronounced jaw."  
  
"More muscles. We could pretend you're an old auror."  
  
"Good idea. Some scars to prove you have fought battles."  
  
The next hour was spent with the teens giving suggestions and Remus following them. They changed and rearranged features of Remus until there wasn't any way to link him to Remus Lupin. Afterwards, they moved on to his past. Dumbledore had asked them to find a cover story which he would then insert in the Ministry's files.  
  
When they were finished, Remus was now named Viktor Philigan. He was born in London from muggle parents and had studied at Hogwarts. He had graduated with honors before integrating the auror. After years of training and work as an auror, he moved to the Arabian Desert to work on some mysterious disappearances. Years later, he moved back to England and was asked to teach at Hogwarts.  
  
Harry was thrilled to know Remus would be back as defense teacher. In his opinion and the one of almost all the school, Remus had been the best DADA teacher they had ever had. Besides that, Harry was glad to have Remus near him. Now, he was the last link he had to Sirius and his parents. However, Harry wasn't fooled. Dumbledore had asked Remus to take the position so he could help him go through with the loss of Sirius. Dumbledore wanted Harry to have someone he could talk to freely. 


	9. Battle

CHAPTER 9  
  
The next few weeks were spent training their animagus form with Professor McGonagall. She taught them some interesting facts about their forms. During those hours spent with her, they came to really understand her. They came to realize she was strict because she was afraid. She was afraid that her students would get hurt because she didn't teach them all they should know about transfiguration. With that realization, they began to really appreciate and love her. She was now more open with them and she told them more about herself and her past. How she came to study at Hogwarts when Dumbledore was still a young and inexperienced teacher. How she became the new transfiguration teacher after the old one retired. To make a long story short, they learned more about her in those few weeks than during all their previous years at Hogwarts.  
  
Also, Harry had been spending more and more time with Remus. The young wizard realized he didn't know Remus that well. When Sirius had fled Azkaban, Harry had been eager to learn more about his godfather, thus forgetting all about Remus and Harry knew that Remus had not taken it well. So, in an attempt to redeem himself, he spent as much time as he could with Remus, his second godfather. They would spend long hours at night simply talking in the astronomy tower, getting to know each other. Quickly, Harry and Remus developed a friendship as powerful if not more so than the one Harry had with Sirius.  
  
At first, Ron and Hermione were shy about their relationship mostly due to the fact that the twins kept teasing them. However, all that changed when Nathaniel got tired of the twins and turned them into snails during dinner in front of every teacher and order members. The young wizard refused to turn them back into their original form for three days. When he did, the twins were so frightened of him they didn't dare tease the couple anymore, afraid Ron or Hermione would call Nathaniel for help. Since then, they had become far more open with their relationship, kissing in front of everyone and not caring.  
  
Finally, there was Nathaniel. Since Harry spent so much time with Remus and Nathaniel was tired of seeing Ron and Hermione kissing all the time, he had turned to the adults for company. He had became fast friend with Hagrid. The two would often disappear for an entire day into the forbidden forest to visit creatures in it. Because he was a druid, Nathaniel had been accepted by the centaurs and had even gained some influence among their people. He would visit them and tell them about the news of the outside world and Voldemort's progression. Nathaniel had managed to convince Hagrid to move Grawp to Dragon's keep where the druids will take good care of him.  
  
The young druid had also became friends with Professor Sprout, the herbology teacher and with Professor Leis, the ancient runes teacher. Nathaniel had provided those two teachers with knowledge only known to the druids. He often could be seen talking to one of these teachers in the hallways. Nathaniel would also conduct experiments with them, trying out some druidic runes or some new vegetables.  
  
*** As the sun set that evening, the four teenagers were walking down the corridors toward Remus's office. Soon, the full moon would rise and Remus would transform. It was the first time Harry and his friends would be with Remus during his transformation. They were all a bit nervous, but confident. When they reached the door, Harry knocked and surprisingly, it was Dumbledore who answered and they noticed Madam Pomfrey in the back.  
  
"Come in." he said, his voice calm as usual but without its usual cheerfulness.  
  
"Professor, what are you doing here ? The transformation is going to happen any minute now." Protested Hermione.  
  
"I know, Miss Granger. I came here to give Remus his potion and I left four bottles on the drawer for you."  
  
They entered the room and saw Remus sitting at his desk, looking extremely weak and pale even though Dumbledore had provided him with strengthening potion and Madam Pomfrey had took care of him.  
  
"Hello, Madam Pomfrey." Greeted the teenagers.  
  
"Good evening, children. Now, I have given several potions to Remus plus the Wolfbane potion so everything should be alright."  
  
"It's the first time we administer several potions along with the Wolfbane one so we don't fully know how Remus is going to react. Maybe the strengthening potion I have given him to lessen the symptoms will also increase the werewolf strength and stamina. If at any moment you realize something is wrong or if Remus gets out of control, I want M. Weasley to fly immediately to my office and alert me. Is that understood ?" ordered Dumbledore.  
  
"Of course, Professor."  
  
Suddenly, Remus started to twitch and shake.  
  
"Albus, it's beginning...Leave, now... Harry...transform..." he gasped.  
  
"Good luck." Wished Dumbledore before swiftly leaving the room after a frightened Madam Pomfrey.  
  
The remaining teenagers looked anxiously at each other. Ron and Hermione kissed and held each other's hand. Harry nodded to Nathaniel who did the same. They knew that if something went wrong, it was up to them to restrain Remus. Although Ron and Hermione could help, they knew that Hermione couldn't do much and Ron had to leave them to alert Dumbledore. They would have to do this mostly alone.  
  
With a sigh, they all transformed to their animagus form. The moment they were finished, Remus started his transformation which was far more painful than the other ones. Finally, the transformation was complete, leaving a panting and huge wolf on the ground. The animagi stayed alert, watching for a sign of threat. However, it didn't come. Remus simply got to his feet and stretched a bit, looking like a normal wolf. The others relaxed and prepared for the long night to come.  
  
During the night, Ron had grabbed a chess game and had been playing with Remus, each moving the pieces with their nose or beak. Hermione had opened a book and was reading calmly while Harry and Nathaniel fooled around, wrestling, running around. However, they stopped when Hermione gave an angry meow at all the noise they were making. They then stopped and passed time by examining all the magical objects Remus owned.  
  
*** Dumbledore was seated at his desk, writing on a piece of parchment, candles lighting his office. However, he stopped and gave a tired sigh as he put down his quill. Fawkes, who had been watching him, gave a questioning chirp. Dumbledore got up and walked to his phoenix.  
  
"It seems I won't get some work done tonight. I am too worried about Remus and the children. I only hope they are alright."  
  
As if to answer his question, a fierce roar echoed through the entire school. Immediately, Dumbledore recognized it. Only Nathaniel could manage such a loud roar. It was closely followed by a growl. A tiger growl.  
  
"Harry."  
  
With that, Dumbledore rushed to the door and went straight to Lupin's office. As he got closer, he started to hear trashing sounds, as if a fight was going on. As he ran, he was met by McGonagall, still in her sleeping cloths, who was rushing too.  
  
"Albus, the children."  
  
"I know, Minerva."  
  
They ran faster, until they reached the right corridor. In the distance, they could already see teachers trying to open the door. Unfortunately, it was Dumbledore who had locked it and no one was strong enough to break one of his spell.  
  
"Stand aside."  
  
He ordered. Immediately, all the teachers scrambled out of his way, clearing a path for him toward the door. When he was near enough, he stopped.  
  
"Prepare your wands." He said and immediately, wands were held straight at the door. "Alohomora." He recited.  
  
A blue glow shot from Dumbledore's wand an hit the door. It glowed blue for a second and shook for a moment, before a click was heard, indicating the door was unlocked. Dumbledore made his way to the door, intend on opening it, but the moment he touched the doorknob, the door was pushed open violently, sending Dumbledore into the wall. Out of the door ran Remus, as a werewolf, closely followed by a tiger and a puma. Spells were aimed at the wolf, but he was too fast and to close. He tackled the mass of teachers blocking him and ran into the darkness chased by Harry and Nathaniel.  
  
When everyone was up again, they saw Hermione as a cat, making her way toward them and meowing. She was limping. When she noticed the teachers, she transformed back into human form, but fell to the ground, holding her ankle.  
  
"Miss Granger, are you alright ?" inquired McGonagall as she and Madam Sprout went to check on her.  
  
"My ankle. I think it's twisted, but that's not important. Ron is unconscious in the office. Remus knocked him into a wall when he tried to fly out the window to alert Professor Dumbledore." She explained.  
  
Immediately, Madam Hooch, the flying teacher, went into the room and came back holding carefully a falcon in her arms. Dumbledore looked around at Ron, then at Hermione and then at the corridor Remus, Nathaniel and Harry had used to flee. Seeming to have taken a decision, he looked back at his staff.  
  
"Minerva, Poppy, take care of Miss Granger and M. Weasley. The rest of you, take some brooms and search the grounds from the air while Hagrid and I go searching for them into the forbidden forest."  
  
Immediately, the teachers used the summoning charm to bring brooms to them and fly out the windows while McGonagall transformed Ron back to human form and conjured stretchers for the two teens.  
  
The search was long and fruitless. Professor Lies conjured dozens of runes in the air to light the grounds and help in the search. Dumbledore and Hagrid, accompanied by Fang, Hagrid's dog, disappeared in the forest for hours. They asked all the friendly creatures in it to help them in their search which most of them did, even the centaurs.  
  
Finally, at dawn, Dumbledore emerged with Remus, Nathaniel and Harry on stretchers out of the forest. The Headmaster sent the three of them in the infirmary by the window to make it faster. By the time, he had reached the hospital wing, McGonagall was waiting for him.  
  
"How are they ?" he asked immediately.  
  
"Poppy says Hermione will be fine. A twisted ankle is easy to heal. Ron is more serious. He has a broken arm and a concussion. It'll take him a week or so to heal. Albus, what happened in the forest ?"  
  
"We found Nathaniel first. He had collapsed and was bleeding very much. Not far from where he was, we found Harry and Remus. They were both exhausted and couldn't fight anymore. I transformed the children back and Remus got back to his human form on our way back. How are they doing ?"  
  
"Nathaniel has lost a lot of blood. He'll need blood but since Poppy has to much on her hand to prepare a blood-increasing potion, we'll have to do it the muggle way. He has a large gash on the side of his chest and a broken rib. Harry has several cuts and bites on him. He'll need a blood transfusion too, but they will heal. Remus is not that hurt. I think the children didn't want to hurt him that much."  
  
"I'll call the teachers and the order to find someone suitable for the transfusion."  
  
Less than ten minutes later, the order minus Snape and the staff were assembled in the great hall, talking among themselves. Dumbledore had tested everyone for the right blood type. Tonks could give Nathaniel her blood and Charlie Weasley could give his to Harry. They were now in the infirmary with Pomfrey.  
  
"Silence." Ordered Dumbledore at the bustling adults. Immediately, everyone shut up.  
  
"Now, let me explain what happened tonight. No, Voldemort has not sent a werewolf to attack the children, it was simply Remus. Some time ago, I decided to rehire Remus as defense teacher under the disguise of Viktor Philigan. To manage his transformation, I decided to prepare for him the Wolfbane potion and to reduce the symptoms, we also tried to add strengthening and other potions. Harry and his friends who have become animagi a short time ago have volunteered to stay with Remus to keep an eye on him. The presence of other animals comfort a werewolf. For reasons that are still unknown to us, this plan didn't work and we have to wait for the children's recovery to learn what happened. Now, I ask all of you to keep Remus's disguise and the children's new power a secret. Thank you."  
  
With that, he left for the hospital wing to check on the children and Remus. When he arrived, he knocked quietly and entered. The teenagers and Remus were still asleep except for Hermione who was looking at her friends. Probably Poppy's doing. Tonks was seated near Nathaniel's bed a needle in the arm and blood running through a tube and into Nathaniel's outstretched arm. Charlie was in the same position, but near Harry's bed. Poppy was examining Ron while two other nurses were looking over Harry and Nathaniel. The two new nurses, who were also members of the order, had offered their help to Poppy. She accepted immediately, having too much people to look over on her own. When Poppy saw Dumbledore near the door, she made her way to him.  
  
"How are they ?" he asked immediately.  
  
"They will make it. With Tonks and Charlie's blood, Nathaniel and Harry will survive. We've healed all the cuts, but Nathaniel's gash on his side was more tricky. We had to operate, but he's fine now. He just needs rest and blood. Same goes for Harry."  
  
"And the other three ?"  
  
"Miss Granger will be fine by tomorrow. She was the luckiest of all of them. I know you want to talk to them. You always do. You can go talk to her, but leave the others to their sleep. The young Weasley should be fine. He'll be weak for a bit and could feel light-headed for a day or two. We healed his arm, but he shouldn't use it too much. That means no Quidditch for him."  
  
"I will make sure Rolanda (the flying teacher) knows."  
  
"Remus is only tired. The children didn't hurt him. Only tackled and shook him up. He'll have a lot of bruises, but that's it. However, I'm worried about the emotional impact this is going to have on him. I have known him for a long time and he'll feel guilty. You'll have to ease him."  
  
"I will. Don't worry about this. Now, I'll let you go back to work."  
  
With that, Poppy left him to return to Ron while Dumbledore went straight for Hermione.  
  
"Hello, Professor. How are they doing ? Madam Pomfrey doesn't want to tell me anything, but I saw them operate Nathaniel. Is he fine ? How about Ron ? And Harry ?"  
  
"Calm down, miss Granger. Everyone will be fine. Now, I have to know what happened tonight."  
  
"Of course. Everything was going fine at first. Remus and Ron were playing chess, I was reading a book while Harry and Nathaniel fooled around. That went on for most of the night. Dawn was approaching and we were all tired. That's why we were caught by surprise. Remus was sitting down in a corner, Ron was sleeping I think. I was fighting to stay awake while Harry and Nathaniel were cuddled together, waiting. Then, suddenly, Remus howled and growled. Before we could do anything, he had lunged for Ron, had grabbed him by a wing and threw him into a wall. Ron didn't move after that. Harry and Nathaniel were fighting Remus, trying to restrain him while I searched for a way to call you. The door was locked and I couldn't transform back to human that near Remus. So I tried to help restrain Remus. We were succeeding for a bit, but then he seemed to grow bigger. He tackled Nathaniel who went flying straight at me. That's when I twisted my ankle. Than, the door opened. We all heard it so Remus ran straight for it. You know the rest."  
  
"I see. I'm curious about something. You said he seemed to grow ?"  
  
"Yes, I know it seems crazy, but I'm sure he was bigger than before. What I'm wondering is why he lost control that late in the night. Why not immediately ?" "I'm wondering the same thing. Well, thank you. Now, you should rest."  
  
*** With that, Dumbledore left the hospital wing, leaving the injured to their rest. He had a lot of thinking to do. First, he had to figure out what happened to make Remus lose control like that. The Wolfbane should have left him his mind. Secondly, he had to do something about the news of Harry and his friends being animagi. As much as he trusted the school staff and the order members, he didn't want to risk the information leaking to Voldemort.  
  
When he reached the Great Hall, he found out nobody had left yet. Every wizard and witch that had came were talking among themselves, obviously wanting to know more about the children's condition. Letting escape a sigh, he entered the giant room. Immediately, everyone stopped talking and watched him impatiently as he made his way to the front of the hall.  
  
"First off, I am glad to announce the children are all fine and will be fully recovered very soon. However, I have another matter to discuss with you. In the state of emergency we were all in, I didn't have time to consider the actions I have made, but now that everything has been settled, I need to fix everything. I won't beat around the bush on this, so I will simply tell you. I will obliviate all of you so none of you can remember this incident. I know must of you aren't comfortable with this idea, but it is necessary."  
  
"What do you mean obliviate us so we can't remember the incident. I do want to remember that my son has been wounded." Objected Molly.  
  
"Molly, this is no time for your parental worries. We need them to be safe and all of us could be a threat to them if we were to be captured and questioned under Veritaserum. So, let Albus do what he has to do and be quick about it." Interrupted Moody.  
  
Although most of them didn't agree, they all accepted the necessity, so Dumbledore took out his wand and modified their memories so they would believe they had been in a meeting. 


	10. Author's note

AUTHOR'S NOTE  
  
Greetings to you all my fellow readers. Normally, I would have added this author's note under one of my chapters, but circumstances that I will explain later made it otherwise. Now, everyone, listen up.  
  
I've recently finished chapter 11 of my story and normally I would have started chapter 12 immediately after, but unfortunately for me (and for you) I have developed writer's block. I fear that the two or three last chapters I have written (10 and 11 you haven't seen yet) are pretty lame. I wrote them when my writer's block started and I'm not really sure they're up to my usual standard. That's why I'm a little reluctant to post them. Let me explain more.  
  
When I started this story, I had a pretty vague idea of the plot. I didn't plan every chapters, but I know what the story would be about. The thing is, I don't want my story to be too short and straightforward. At the start, I wanted it to cover the whole school year, but now that I look at it, I don't have the necessary material to fill the entire year with adventures. So, if I don't cover the entire year, my story will be rushed, short and lame. However, if I cover the entire year, my story will be long, boring and never-ending. Get the dilemma ? That's why I ask all of you to help me. For my story's sake. Most of you already writes, so you could give me some advice.  
  
Now, I thought about it before and one of the solutions I ended up with would be to concentrate more on the romance of my story. You already know about the relationship between Hermione and Ron, but what you don't know is that I decided to also add HP/DM and a relationship involving Ginny Weasley and Nathaniel Orion. If you approve, then the next chapters (after 11) would mainly evolve around the couples. HP/DM would be angst since they're rivals. RW/HG would be really fluffy(you know, so cute you could throw up) while NO/GW would be a more slow and evolving relationship. They could be really shy at first and then be more open about it.  
  
If I do that, then the first part of my story would be the training(which you already read), the second part would be entirely romance and the last chapters would be the action/adventure part of the story. I know I should try and mix all the parts, but I'm not sure I'm capable of doing that.  
  
Now, here's the part where all of you come in. Luckily for me, I haven't uploaded the chapter 10 which is the chapter where I reveal the real plot, so you don't know where the story's going. What I beg all of you to do is send me an e-mail or a review (preferably an e-mail, but suit yourselves) telling me where do you think the story is going, what do you think the plot is and some suggestions of side-plots that could fill the gape between the main plot. It will give you the opportunity to have a say in this story.  
  
You know, the reason why I actually started this story was because I didn't find a story that corresponded to my view. Almost no story talks seriously about animagi which is quite sad. If you're like me, you guys certainly want a story that fits with your desires. So, stop reading and start emailing already. Millennium-dragon (I didn't chose to add the 1 after my name. Was forced to)  
  
P.S. If anyone of you knows of a finished story similar to mine, tell me about it. You know, a story where Harry trains, become good at everything, come back super handsome and strong at Hogwarts and defeat Voldemort(not too easily though). I don't want a story where Harry is the master of the world though. Snape still has to hold a certain authority over Harry and Draco still needs to tease him. Anyways, I'll leave you to your emails (faster!!!!) 


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